Registered Third Parties

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how many (a) organisations and (b) individuals are registered with the Electoral Commission as Registered Third Parties; and how many were so registered in each month since 2004.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission's statutory register of recognised Third Parties is available at www.electoralcommission.org.uk. There are currently 22 recognised Third Parties on this Register, 20 of which are organisations and two are individuals.
	As of the last day in each month since January 2004 the number on the register was:
	
		
			  Total 
		
		
			 2004  
			 January 9 
			 February 11 
			 March 11 
			 April 12 
			 May 14 
			 June 14 
			 July 14 
			 August 15 
			 September 16 
			 October 16 
			 November 15 
			 December 16 
			 2005  
			 January 16 
			 February 18 
			 March 20 
			 April 26 
			 May 26 
			 June 26 
			 July 25 
			 August 23 
			 September 23 
			 October 23 
			 November 22

Correspondence

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General how many (a) letters from hon. Members, (b) letters from members of the public and (c) parliamentary questions from (i) hon. Members and (ii) Lords were dealt with by the Law Officers' Department in each year since 1995 in respect of what percentage his Department took (A) more than one month and (B) more than three months to provide a substantive answer; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members/Peers correspondence. The Report for 2004 was published on 6 April 2005, Official Report, columns 137–40WS. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House.
	In respect of correspondence from members of the public, my Department have provided statistics dating back to November of last year, when the Correspondence Unit was first set up. During the period 1 November 2004 to date we have replied to 91 per cent. of correspondence within 20 working days. Following tables show these figures.
	
		LSLO correspondence unit: response to letters from 'general public' November 2004
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Number of letters 59 
			 On time 54 
			 Out of time 6 
		
	
	Note:
	Performance target reached: 92 per cent.
	
		December 2004
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Number of letters 49 
			 On time 43 
			 Out of time 6 
		
	
	Note:
	Performance target reached: 88 per cent.
	
		January 2005
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Number of letters 96 
			 On time 67 
			 Out of time 29 
		
	
	Note:
	Performance target reached: 70 per cent.
	
		February 2005
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Number of letters 90 
			 On time 81 
			 Out of time 9 
		
	
	Note:
	Performance target reached: 90 per cent.
	
		March 2005
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Number of letters 131 
			 On time 120 
			 Out of time 11 
		
	
	Note:
	Performance target reached: 92 per cent.
	
		April 2005
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Number of letters 109 
			 On time 98 
			 Out of time 11 
		
	
	Note:
	Performance target reached: 90 per cent.
	
		May 2005
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Number of letters 79 
			 On time 7 
			 Out of time 6 
		
	
	Note:
	Performance target reached: 92 per cent.
	
		June 2005
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Number of letters 68 
			 On time 58 
			 Out of time 10 
		
	
	Note:
	Performance target reached: 85 per cent.
	
		July 2005
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Number of letters 97 
			 On time 94 
			 Out of time 3 
		
	
	Note:
	Performance target reached: 97 per cent.
	
		August 2005
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Number of letters 93 
			 On time 87 
			 Out of time 6 
		
	
	Note:
	Performance target reached: 94%
	
		September 2005
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Number of letters 58 
			 On time 54 
			 Out of time 4 
		
	
	Note:
	Performance target reached: 93 per cent.
	
		October 2005
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Number of letters 66 
			 On time 63 
			 Out of time 3 
		
	
	Note:
	Performance target reached: 95 per cent.
	
		November 2005
		
			  Name 
		
		
			 Number of letters 69 
			 On time 69 
			 Out of time 0 
		
	
	Note:
	Performance target reached: 100 per cent.
	
		Up to 7 December 2005
		
			  Name 
		
		
			 Number of letters 9 
			 On time 9 
			 Out of time 0 
		
	
	Note:
	Performance target reached: 100 per cent.

Statutory Instruments

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General how many statutory instruments introduced by the Department has to be (a) withdrawn, (b) amended by a further statutory instrument and (c) reprinted because of defective drafting in each session since 1997; and what steps he (i) is taking and (ii) plans to take to prevent further such instances.

Mike O'Brien: None have been withdrawn or reprinted because of defective drafting. Two have been revoked and replaced by statutory instruments giving effect to new legislation.

Animal Welfare

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of animals likely to need re-homing as a result of the introduction of the new welfare offence in the Animal Welfare Bill; and what percentage change she expects in the number of animals in need of re-homing.

Ben Bradshaw: We have no statistics for the number of animals currently requiring re-homing. However the introduction of the welfare offence is not expected to increase overall numbers significantly. We believe that the majority of sanctuaries are run satisfactory, providing a valuable service to animal welfare. However, there is evidence that a minority pose a risk. The Animal Welfare Bill will enable this risk to be addressed through the introduction of secondary legislation. The Regulatory Impact Assessment published in conjunction with the Bill proposes that all sanctuaries should be required to register with local authorities on the basis of a veterinary assessment and be subject to a code of practice by 2009. The regulation of animal sanctuaries under the Animal Welfare Bill will enable reliable data to be built up by local authorities so that high-risk establishments can be identified and inspected.
	We propose to work closely with welfare organisations and representatives of animal sanctuaries in preparing secondary legislation. This consultation will enable us to refine our thinking on key issues such as the criteria for regulating a sanctuary and the guidance which the code will give on rehabilitation and re-homing. The draft regulations and code will be subject to public consultation and there will also be the opportunity for discussion in Parliament.

Animal Welfare

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many animal sanctuaries she estimates are open to the public in England;
	(2)  what recent estimate she has made of the number of animal sanctuaries there are in England.

Ben Bradshaw: Because animal sanctuaries are not regulated there is a lack of comprehensive data on their numbers in England. The Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) which accompanied the Animal Welfare Bill, published on 14 October 2005, gave a conservative estimate of 700 sanctuaries in England and Wales based on previous consultations with animal sanctuary interests. It is not known what percentage of animal sanctuaries are open to the general public.

Avian Influenza

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what emergency preparation plans the Government has put in place for a mass cull of birds to combat an outbreak of Avian influenza; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: In the event of an outbreak of highly pathogenic Avian influenza Defra would immediately invoke the "Exotic Animal Disease Generic Contingency Plan". Disease control would include killing birds on the infected premises and dangerous contacts (premises likely to be contaminated by a direct link with the infected one). Several techniques are currently available for the humane killing of birds on farm, these include lethal injection, neck dislocation, percussion killers, mobile electrocution and exposure to gases.

Bovine TB

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the incidence of bovine TB caused by cattle-to-cattle transmission was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The evidence in this area is complex. It is difficult to pinpoint sources of infection for individual herd breakdowns, particularly when infection by wildlife is a possibility, and the regional variation in the incidence of the disease complicates the overall picture. It is, therefore, not possible to put a precise figure on the number of cases of bovine TB (bTB) that can be attributed to cattle-to-cattle transmission (or to any other source of infection). It is clear, however, that "cattle-to-cattle transmission is of critical importance" (Independent Scientific Group on cattle TB, 3rd report, p41) and in low bTB incidence areas there is evidence that it could be responsible for around 80 per cent. or more of cases.
	The evidence from work recently submitted for publication does suggest that cattle-to-cattle transmission is the main cause of TB spread in areas currently free, or relatively free, of cattle TB.
	But the situation is quite different in the high incidence areas of the country where 85 to 90 per cent. of all confirmed breakdowns occur. Some herds in these areas are also infected by purchased cattle, but wildlife is a major source of new herd infection and in some counties it may be a more important source than cattle.

Bovine TB

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farms in England have produced positive skin tests for bovine TB 60 days after the first test in each month since 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The number of farms in England that produced a positive skin test for bovine TB 60-days after the first test in each month since 2001 are given in the following five tables. All animals were subsequently slaughtered.
	
		Table 1: Data for 2001(1)(2)
		
			  Number of farms 
		
		
			 January 106 
			 February 106 
			 March 0 
			 April 7 
			 May 26 
			 June 29 
			 July 41 
			 August 42 
			 September 56 
			 October 73 
			 November 68 
			 December 113 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Data for 2002(1)(2)
		
			  Number of farms 
		
		
			 January 203 
			 February 269 
			 March 352 
			 April 437 
			 May 318 
			 June 204 
			 July 351 
			 August 190 
			 September 315 
			 October 201 
			 November 401 
			 December 288 
		
	
	
		Table 3: Data 2003(1)
		
			  Number of farms 
		
		
			 January 380 
			 February 397 
			 March 487 
			 April 346 
			 May 345 
			 June 406 
			 July 273 
			 August 271 
			 September 333 
			 October 209 
			 November 324 
			 December 191 
		
	
	
		Table 4: Data 2004(1)
		
			  Number of farms 
		
		
			 January 351 
			 February 295 
			 March 451 
			 April 329 
			 May 240 
			 June 289 
			 July 230 
			 August 247 
			 September 185 
			 October 245 
			 November 382 
			 December 236 
		
	
	
		Table 5: Data 2005(1)
		
			  Number of farms 
		
		
			 January 322 
			 February 317 
			 March 280 
			 April 381 
			 May 281 
			 June 210 
			 July 167 
			 August 70 
			 September 62 
			   
			 Total January 2001 to September 2005 13,664 
		
	
	Notes:
	(1) Provisional data downloaded from the State Veterinary Service Data Warehouse on 2 December 2005. Subject to change as more data becomes available.
	(2) In 2001, the TB testing and control programme was largely suspended due to the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak. When testing resumed in 2002, resources were concentrated on herds with overdue TB tests which would have had a longer period in which to contract the disease. Also the proportion of high risk herds tested immediately after the FMD outbreak was greater than that prior to the outbreak. As a result, data for 2001 and 2002 are not comparable with other years.

Foot and Mouth

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many confirmed foot and mouth cases (a) occurred in (i) 2002, (ii) 2003 and (iii) 2004 and (b) have occurred in 2005 in each county in England and Wales.

Ben Bradshaw: None.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2005, Official Report, columns 652–3W, on greenhouse gas emissions, if she will produce an annual report to Parliament on greenhouse gas emissions.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 7 December 2005
	As my hon. Friend, the Minister for Energy, has confirmed to the House, if Clause 2 of the Private Member's Bill "Climate Change and Sustainable Energy" is amended to the effect that producing such a report would be the responsibility of the Secretary of State and the Bill then becomes law, the Secretary of State will produce annual reports to Parliament on greenhouse gas emissions.

Media Relations

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on external media relations in each year since 2001.

Jim Knight: Since 2001 Defra's Communications Directorate has commissioned the following external media relations services:
	
		
			 Agency Project Date Cost (£) 
		
		
			 Good Relations Sustainable Food and Farming 2002 5,900 
			 Biss Lancaster Your countryside you're welcome 2002 189,366.67 
			 Red Illegal Imports 2002 121,848.93 
			 Country Porter Novelli Sustainable Development 2002 16,243 
			 Forster Company Darwin Initiative 2003 11,170 
			 Media Moguls Illegal Food Imports Campaign Phase July 2004 to March 2005 261,558.70 
			 Media Moguls Illegal Food Imports Campaign Phase 2 August 2005 to present 22,362.31 
			 Amazon Public Relations Launch of the Sustainable Development Strategy January 2005 to May 2005 55,904.84 
			 Amazon Public Relations Sustainable Development case studies August to date 18,750 
			 Weber Shandwick Climate Change October 2005 to March 2006 60,000 
		
	
	All agencies provided specialist skills and services not currently available within Defra's Communications Directorate.

Sites of Nature Conservation Importance

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the site of nature conservation importance designation in protecting such sites; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Sites of nature conservation importance or other similar non-statutory designations, which we refer to generically as local sites, contribute significantly to delivering both UK and local biodiversity and geodiversity action plan targets. It is understood that there are over 35,000 local sites throughout the country.
	The Government have re-affirmed the importance of the contribution such sites can make to our overall biodiversity objectives in the revised planning statement, "Planning Policy Statement 9: Biodiversity and Geological Conservation" published in August this year. The planning statement states that local authorities should establish criteria-based policies in local development documents against which proposals for any development on, or affecting, such sites will be judged. These policies should be distinguished from those applied to the nationally important statutory sites.
	In the new year, we also plan to publish guidance, developed with stakeholders, on the process for identification of these sites and the operation of partnerships concerned with local sites systems.

Waste Management

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her estimate is for (a) each borough in Essex and (b) each London borough of the proportion of (i) household and (ii) industrial waste that was (A) recycled, (B) disposed of by incineration and (C) disposed of by landfill in each of the past five years.

Ben Bradshaw: Data on the disposal of municipal waste are collected through the Municipal Waste Management Survey for England. The disposal of household waste is not disaggregated from municipal waste, however as household waste is the major constituent of municipal waste (comprising around 87 per cent. of all municipal waste), data for the disposal of municipal waste are a good approximation to household waste. The proportion of municipal waste by disposal route for the most recent five years, is in table 1. Data are presented for each waste disposal authority and unitary authority in Essex and London, which is the lowest level of detail available.
	Data for the disposal of industrial waste are available for Government office regions only, and these are presented in table 2. Data are available for 1998–99 and 2002–03. Industrial waste is defined as waste from manufacturing, and oil, gas electricity and water supply sectors, but the data for 1998–99 also include waste from the transport, storage and communications sectors, and from hospitals. The data for the two years are therefore not directly comparable.
	
		Table 1 Percentage
		
			1999–2000 
			 Government office region LA name LA type Recycled and reused Landfilled Incinerated 
		
		
			 Eastern Thurrock Council U 10 90 — 
			 Eastern Southend-on-Sea BC U 17 83 0 
			 Eastern Essex County Council D 17 83 — 
			 London Bexley LB U 19 34 47 
			 London Tower Hamlets LB U 3 97 0 
			 London London Corporation U 1 99 — 
			 London Westminster City Council U 4 42 54 
			 London East London Waste Authority D 4 87 9 
			 London North London Waste Authority D 7 45 49 
			 London Southwark LB U 3 93 5 
			 London Lewisham LB U 4 3 94 
			 London Greenwich LB U 6 39 55 
			 London Sutton LB U 26 74 — 
			 London Merton LB U 12 88 — 
			 London Kingston-upon-Thames LB U 16 84 — 
			 London Croydon LB U 9 89 2 
			 London Bromley LB U 11 89 0 
			 London West London Waste Authority D 9 91 0 
			 London Western Riverside Waste Authority D 8 92 — 
		
	
	
		
			2000–01 
			 Government office region LA name LA type Recycled and reused Landfilled Incinerated 
		
		
			 Eastern Thurrock Council U 16 84 — 
			 Eastern Southend-on-Sea BC U 22 78 0 
			 Eastern Essex County Council D 21 79 — 
			 London Bexley LB U 19 42 41 
			 London Tower Hamlets LB U 2 98 0 
			 London London Corporation U 2 98 — 
			 London Westminster City Council U 4 41 54 
			 London East London Waste Authority D 5 86 10 
			 London North London Waste Authority D 9 41 51 
			 London Southwark LB U 2 83 15 
			 London Lewisham LB U 4 12 84 
			 London Greenwich LB U 5 21 73 
			 London Sutton LB U 22 78 — 
			 London Merton LB U 14 86 — 
			 London Kingston-upon-Thames LB U 16 84 — 
			 London Croydon LB U 10 90 0 
			 London Bromley LB U 12 88 — 
			 London West London Waste Authority D 9 91 0 
			 London Western Riverside Waste Authority D 7 93 — 
		
	
	
		
			2001–02 
			 Government office region LA name LA type Recycled and reused Landfilled Incinerated 
		
		
			 Eastern Thurrock Council U 19 81 — 
			 Eastern Southend-on-Sea BC U 20 80 0 
			 Eastern Essex County Council D 23 77 — 
			 London Bexley LB U 18 62 19 
			 London Tower Hamlets LB U 2 98 0 
			 London London Corporation U 1 99 — 
			 London Westminster City Council U 5 40 55 
			 London East London Waste Authority D 5 84 11 
			 London North London Waste Authority D 7 49 44 
			 London Southwark LB U 3 69 28 
			 London Lewisham LB U 6 14 80 
			 London Greenwich LB U 6 38 56 
			 London Sutton LB U 15 85 — 
			 London Merton LB U 12 87 1 
			 London Kingston-upon-Thames LB U 16 84 — 
			 London Croydon LB U 9 91 0 
			 London Bromley LB U 12 87 1 
			 London West London Waste Authority D 10 90 0 
			 London Western Riverside Waste Authority D 8 92 0 
		
	
	
		
			2002–03 
			 Government office region LA name LA type Recycled and reused Landfilled Incinerated 
		
		
			 Eastern Thurrock Council U 17 83 — 
			 Eastern Southend-on-Sea BC U 22 78 0 
			 Eastern Essex County Council D 25 75 — 
			 London Bexley LB U 20 77 3 
			 London Tower Hamlets LB U 3 97 0 
			 London London Corporation U 1 99 0 
			 London Westminster City Council U 5 35 60 
			 London East London Waste Authority D 5 87 8 
			 London North London Waste Authority D 9 48 44 
			 London Southwark LB U 4 71 25 
			 London Lewisham LB U 7 8 85 
			 London Greenwich LB U 7 19 74 
			 London Sutton LB U 18 82 — 
			 London Merton LB U 12 88 0 
			 London Kingston-upon-Thames LB U 16 84 — 
			 London Croydon LB U 13 87 0 
			 London Bromley LB U 13 65 22 
			 London West London Waste Authority D 12 88 0 
			 London Western Riverside Waste Authority D 8 91 1 
		
	
	
		
			2003–04 
			 Government office region LA name LA type Recycled and reused Landfilled Incinerated 
		
		
			 Eastern Thurrock Council U 15 85 — 
			 Eastern Southend-on-Sea BC U 22 78 0 
			 Eastern Essex County Council D 26 74 — 
			 London Bexley LB U 20 72 7 
			 London Tower Hamlets LB U 4 96 — 
			 London London Corporation U 1 99 — 
			 London Westminster City Council U 6 33 61 
			 London East London Waste Authority D 7 85 7 
			 London North London Waste Authority D 11 48 41 
			 London Southwark LB U 7 70 23 
			 London Lewisham LB U 7 19 74 
			 London Greenwich LB U 10 26 63 
			 London Sutton LB U 26 74 — 
			 London Merton LB U 12 88 0 
			 London Kingston-upon-Thames LB U 19 81 — 
			 London Croydon LB U 13 86 0 
			 London Bromley LB U 17 58 25 
			 London West London Waste Authority D 14 86 0 
			 London Western Riverside Waste Authority D 11 89 0 
		
	
	Source:
	DEFRA Municipal Waste Management Survey
	
		Table 2 Percentage
		
			  1998–99 2002–03 
			 Industrial waste Landfilled Recycled and reused Incinerated Landfilled Recycled and reused Incinerated 
		
		
			 East of England 47 36 2 30 50 5 
			 London 41 40 3 30 61 4 
		
	
	Source:
	Environment Agency Survey of Commercial and Industrial Waste

Waste Management

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to develop a quality protocol for certified compost material to enable it to be defined as a product rather than waste.

Ben Bradshaw: The definition of waste in force in the United Kingdom is the definition in Article 1(a) of the Waste Framework Directive (as amended). Whether or not a substance is discarded as waste, and when waste ceases to be waste, are matters which must be determined on the facts of the case and the interpretation of the law is a matter for the courts. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has issued several judgments on the definition of waste which are binding on member states and their "competent authorities". The composting of waste is classified as a waste recovery operation under the Directive. This means that composting must be carried out under the terms of a waste management licence issued by, or a waste management licensing exemption registered with, the Environment Agency (England and Wales).
	The ECJ has ruled that
	"..whether [a substance] is waste, must be determined in the light of all the circumstances, regard being had to the aim of the Directive and the need to ensure that its effectiveness is not undermined."
	In practice, this means that waste does not cease to be waste until it has undergone a complete recovery operation and has been fully recovered within the meaning of the directive. A complete recovery operation is one which has the effect of transforming waste into a product which is wholly interchangeable with another product and requires no additional regulation or supervision beyond that applicable to the product which it is replacing. Waste has not undergone a complete recovery operation if, after the operation has been carried out, it continues to present a danger typical of waste (e.g. it continues to be contaminated).
	The Environment Agency considers that (a) source-segregated waste which, after composting, meets a recognised and suitable quality standard (e.g. BSI PAS 100) is likely to be fully recovered within the meaning of the directive; and (b) mixed waste which is composted is likely to remain waste until it is used in a further recovery operation (e.g. land treatment resulting in agricultural benefit or ecological improvement subject to control by the Agency under a licence or registered licensing exemption). These considerations are being taken into account in work currently being undertaken by the Environment Agency and the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) on the development of a quality protocol for waste composting.
	The Department supports the development of such protocols at national level and advocates their development at a European Union level. A key objective of our doing so is to enable our competent authorities, and those engaged in the recovery of waste, to determine with a high degree of certainty the point at which waste has been fully recovered for the purposes of the Waste Framework Directive and has ceased to be waste. This was reflected in the UK's response of 15 February 2005 to the European Commission's questionnaire on possible amendments to the directive linked to the Thematic Strategy on the prevention and recycling of waste. In its response, the UK identified municipal/household waste which is recovered by means of composting or other biological transformation processes as a priority waste stream in this context. The UK's response is available at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/thematicstrat/questionnaire-ukresponse.pdf

Airport Security

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the transportation security administration regarding the screening of baggage for passengers travelling from the UK.

Karen Buck: holding 8 December 2005
	Responsibility for security screening at airports in the USA rests with the US Government, with whom we maintain a continuing dialogue across the full range of aviation security matters, including baggage screening.

Early Retirement

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of his Department's employees have taken early retirement in each year since 1997.

Karen Buck: The Department was created on 29 May 2002 and the numbers of employees who have taken early retirement in each year since then are shown in the table:
	
		
			  Number of employees 
		
		
			 2002 57 
			 2003 50 
			 2004 105 
		
	
	The figures include those who have retired voluntarily with an actuarially reduced pension, those who have retired with benefits under the Civil Service Compensation Scheme and those who have retired on ill-health grounds.

Forest of Dean

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on public transport services in the Forest of Dean.

Karen Buck: It is for Gloucestershire county council, the local transport authority, in consultation with members of the community, key stakeholders and partners (including Forest of Dean district council), to determine local transport priorities and the provision of services.
	Transport priorities are brought forward to Ministers through the Local Transport Plan process and my officials are currently assisting the local authority in the development of the second Local Transport Plan for Gloucestershire county council. During the first round of Local Transport Plans funding for the area increased from £15.78 million in 2000–01 to £17.49 million in 2005–06.
	I understand that Gloucestershire county council already commits £1.6 million of its budget and disburses £1.1 million of Rural Bus Subsidy Grant from central Government to ensure the operation of bus services. Within the last year, bus patronage in the area has increased between 2 and 30 per cent. (and up to 50 per cent. on one route). The network of services in the Forest of Dean now carries substantially higher numbers of passengers at a lower subsidy cost.
	I welcome these improvements and look forward to working with the authority as they build on their public transport strategy in their second Local Transport Plan.

Lamberhurst Bypass

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding schemes the Government have used to pay for the Lamberhurst bypass in East Sussex; and how much money was used in each scheme.

Stephen Ladyman: The Lamberhurst bypass was funded entirely by the Government's 10-year targeted programme of improvements (TPI). The estimated final cost of the scheme is £25.24 million.
	The scheme was funded from the Highways Agency budget, which is part of the Department for Transport's voted expenditure.

Transport (Financial Support)

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out the financial support provided by (a) by central Government, (b) via local government and (c) via passenger transport authorities in England for (i) local bus services, (ii) local bus service infrastructure, (iii) rail services, (iv) rail infrastructure, (v) air services and (vi) aviation infrastructure in each year between 1995–96 and 2004–05.

Karen Buck: holding answer 1 December 2005
	The following table provides the information held centrally. The Department for Transport was formed in 2002.
	Support for rail infrastructure is made through direct capital grants to Network Rail and London and Continental Railways.
	Central Government support for aviation is in the form of research and development, international subscriptions, support for Royal Travel and loans to National Air Traffic Services. Direct support is not provided for air services or aviation infrastructure.
	
		Financial support provided by the Department for Transport £ million
		
			  2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Local bus services(3)
			 Central Government 332 350 359 
			 Local government 436 461 470 
			 Passenger transport authorities 742 876 853 
			 Rail Services(4)
			 Central Government 935 1,359 878 
			 Passenger transport authorities 218 214 134 
			 Rail infrastructure
			 Central Government(5) 1,166 1,670 2,058 
		
	
	(3) Includes support for local bus service infrastructure.
	(4) Source: National Rail Trends.
	(5) Includes capital grant to London and Continental Railways for 2003–03 and 2003–04.

UK Air Passengers

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what average number of flights was taken by UK passengers (a) in 1997 and (b) in the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by social class.

Karen Buck: The results by socio-economic classification for 2003 are given as follows. Respondents in managerial/professional occupations had a higher mean number of air trips than those in lower occupational categories.
	This data was not collected in 1997.
	
		How many air trips in last year?
		
			  Mean no flights (based on all) Base number Mean (among those who had flown in last year) Base number (all those who had flown in last year) 
		
		
			 Managerial and professional occupations (6)3.6 417 5.3 277 
			 Intermediate occupations 1.6 212 2.8 109 
			 Routine and manual occupations 1.6 491 3.2 214 
			 Never worked/long-term unemployed (7)— 33 (7)— 7 
			 All 2.3 1,153 4.1 608 
		
	
	(6) Figures are significantly different to the national average at the 5 per cent. level.
	(7) Sample size too small for reliable estimates.
	Source:
	2003 British Social Attitudes Survey

Vehicle Certification Agency

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons the Vehicle Certification Agency is involved in the work of the management systems certification.

Stephen Ladyman: VGA, as the UK vehicle type approval authority, has the responsibility to test and certify vehicles and components to a range of EU Directives and ECE regulations. Part of that certification requires that VGA verifies the "conformity of production" arrangements of the manufacturer to ensure production vehicles and components continue to meet the standards. This is done through an audit of the manufacturer's quality management systems. With the introduction of ISO 9000—quality management systems—manufacturers requested VGA to extend the auditing service to include the issue of certificates. Therefore VGA became accredited by UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) to enable it to issue recognised certificates and be able to offer automotive related organisations management systems certification services on a commercial basis.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department directed to each British Overseas Territory in each of the last seven years.

Gareth Thomas: DFID expenditure for the Overseas Territories for each of the financial years from 1998–99 to 2004–05 is set out in the table. A number of territories, for example Montserrat and St. Helena, still need significant levels of support to help meet basic needs and promote growth and, in the case of Pitcairn, a need now for budgetary aid to cover essential recurrent expenditure. Declining levels of support, for example in Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands, follow increased prosperity and economic growth.
	
		
			  £000 
			  Programme expenditure 
		
		
			 Anguilla  
			 1998–99 1,977 
			 1999–2000 2,058 
			 2000–01 2,234 
			 2001–02 1,847 
			 2002–03 1,044 
			 2003–04 954 
			 2004–05 1,216 
			 Bermuda  
			 1998–99 — 
			 1999–2000 13 
			 2000–01 4 
			 2001–02 — 
			 2002–03 — 
			 2003–04 — 
			 2004–05 — 
			 British Virgin Islands  
			 1998–99 622 
			 1999–2000 517 
			 2000–01 186 
			 2001–02 83 
			 2002–03 90 
			 2003–04 11 
			 2004–05 — 
			 Cayman Islands  
			 1998–99 23 
			 1999–2000 18 
			 2000–01 20 
			 2001–02 3 
			 2002–03 — 
			 2003–04 — 
			 2004–05 (8)250 
			 Falkland Islands  
			 1998–99 — 
			 1999–2000 — 
			 2000–01 — 
			 2001–02 — 
			 2002–03 — 
			 2003–04 — 
			 2004–05 — 
			 Gibraltar  
			 1998–99 28 
			 1999–2000 23 
			 2000–01 27 
			 2001–02 23 
			 2002–03 6 
			 2003–04 5 
			 2004–05 1 
			 Montserrat  
			 1998–99 31,096 
			 1999–2000 22,640 
			 2000–01 19,597 
			 2001–02 23,710 
			 2002–03 23,350 
			 2003–04 24,757 
			 2004–05 14,151 
			 Pitcairn Islands  
			 1998–99 148 
			 1999–2000 99 
			 2000–01 18 
			 2001–02 26 
			 2002–03 53 
			 2003–04 64 
			 2004–05 1,314 
			 St. Helena (and Tristan da Cunha) 
			 1998–99 8,806 
			 1999–2000 9,362 
			 2000–01 10,115 
			 2001–02 10,106 
			 2002–03 9,555 
			 2003–04 10,525 
			 2004–05 14,481 
			 Turks and Caicos Islands  
			 1998–99 3,808 
			 1999–2000 4,044 
			 2000–01 2,845 
			 2001–02 2,719 
			 2002–03 1,532 
			 2003–04 741 
			 2004–05 1,187 
		
	
	(8) Emergency assistance (approximate figure) following Hurricane Ivan in September 2004.
	In addition, the countries also benefit from DFID's "regional" Overseas Territories programme. Individual country shares of this cannot be attributed.
	The European Development Fund also allocates funds for the UK Overseas Territories. Cumulative allocations since 1993 total some €86.33 million (the UK share of which is about €10.79 million or approximately £7.2 million). This sum, some of which is still being committed to or spent on approved development activities, has been shared among eligible UK Overseas Territories as follows.
	
		Thousand
		
			 Country Euros Sterling approximate 
		
		
			 Anguilla 14,450 9,600 
			 British Virgin Islands 4,900 3,300 
			 Cayman Islands 1,600 1,070 
			 Montserrat 24,900 16,600 
			 St. Helena (and Tristan da Cunha) 18,150 12,100 
			 Turks and Caicos Islands 16,280 10,850 
			 Falkland Islands 3,700 2,460 
			 Pitcairn Islands 2,350 1,570

Child Treatment Fund

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether funding for the child treatment fund is included in the 10 per cent. of his Department's spending on HIV/AIDS to be spent on orphans and vulnerable children.

Gareth Thomas: Globally, access to AIDS treatment for children is low, despite the fact that, in the absence of treatment, 50 per cent. of children with HIV will die before their second birthday. In Mozambique and Malawi, for example, 5 per cent. and 7 per cent. of those on treatment are children, whereas equitable access would require coverage of approximately 13 per cent.
	DFID has committed £150 million for support to children affected by AIDS from 2005–08. This funding will not be put through new instruments. However, this funding is being used to support a range of activities that will promote children's access to prevention and treatment, as well as to protection and care. For example, we are providing £10 million to Medecins Sans Frontieres for anti-retroviral roll out and prevention in South Africa.
	We are also funding research into better medicines and diagnostics for children, such as the £4.8 million trial DFID and the Medical Research Council are co-funding on anti-retroviral treatment for children. An earlier DFID funded trial in Zambia has proven the efficacy of a cheap antibiotic, Cotrimoxazole, in reducing mortality in HIV positive children.
	DFID will continue to ensure the needs of children and other vulnerable groups are addressed as we work towards scaling up to universal access to treatment by 2010, as agreed by the G8 and by the Millennium Review Summit. DFID is supporting UNICEF's Global Campaign on Children and AIDS that sets a target of providing treatment to 80 per cent. of children in need by 2010.

Commission for Africa

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what timetable he has set to deliver the recommendations of the Commission for Africa.

Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave to the hon. Member for South Down (Mr. McGrady) on 28 November 2005, Official Report, columns 54–55W.

Early Retirement

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of his Department's employees have taken early retirement in each year since 1997.

Gareth Thomas: The number of DFID employees, who have taken early retirement in each year since 1997, are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of employees 
		
		
			 1997 26 
			 1998 6 
			 1999 9 
			 2000 3 
			 2001 9 
			 2002 10 
			 2003 24 
			 2004 13 
			 2005 (10)11 
		
	
	(10) To date
	The figures include those who have retired voluntarily with an actuarially reduced pension, those who have retired with benefits under the civil service compensation scheme and those who have retired on grounds of ill-health.

Freedom of Information

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many freedom of information applications his Department has received; how many have taken more than 20 days to process; and how many of these gave rise to complaints about the time taken.

Gareth Thomas: Between 1 January and 30 June 2005, DFID received 151 freedom of information requests. Of these, 48 took more than 20 working days to complete. Requesters sought internal reviews on the timeliness of handling for three requests.
	The Department for Constitutional Affairs is committed to publishing quarterly updates in relation to departmental performance under FOI, including information on both the volume and outcomes of requests. The bulletin for the second quarter was published on 30 September 2005 and can be found on the DCA website at http://www.foi.gov.uk/statsapr-jun05.htm and in the Libraries of both Houses. The next bulletin will be published before Christmas, while an annual report will be published in early 2006.

Palestinian Refugees

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with Arab States about the provision of aid and assistance to Palestinian refugees; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is mandated by the UN General Assembly to provide education, health, relief and social services to Palestinian refugees. As a major contributor to the UNRWA, providing approximately £15 million this year, DFID has regular contacts with Arab States that are hosts of refugees or provide financial assistance to the UNRWA. Most recently, DFID participated in UNRWA's annual Hosts and Donors Meeting in Jordan and, as holding the EU presidency, made a statement on behalf of the EU. In September DFID participated in the annual Advisory Commission meeting which includes the four host authorities (Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian Authority) and seven other countries, including the UK.

Public Service Agreement

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he will publish a Public Service Agreement delivery plan for 2004 Public Service Agreement target number 5.

Hilary Benn: We do not intend to publish the delivery plan for 2005–08, as this is an internal document. However, the Government regularly reports progress against PSA Target 5 in the annual Departmental and Autumn Performance Reports. These reports are publicly available on the DFID and other relevant Departments' websites. Details of the measurement systems underpinning the target are published in the PSA Technical Note, which is publicly available on the DFID website: www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/PSA/technicalnotes.pdf

St. Helena

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the applications submitted by non-St Helena for land purchase licences in each year since 1997; who the applicant was in each case; and what total land mass each application concerned.

Gareth Thomas: The "Governor in Council" has considered, or is considering, the following applications received since 1997. Decisions are made according to the Immigrants' Landholding (Restriction) Ordinance.
	
		
			  Date of application  Name(s) Land area(s) (Acres)  Remarks 
		
		
			 28 July 1997 Janet Lesley Barlow 0.29 Refused 
			 20 October 1998 Rex Alan Bartlett and Cynthia Laura Barefoot 1.9 Granted 
			 14 June 1998 Patrick Solan and Jean Solan 0.35 Withdrawn 
			 23 February 1999 Per Richard Lochen 1.7 Granted 
			 24 February 1999 Robin Castell 2.0 Granted 
			 9 April 1999 Christopher John Grattan-Cooper and Lindsay Helen Grattan-Cooper 0.51 Granted 
			 25 February 1999 Michel Dancoisne-Martineau 12.0 Granted 
			 28 May 1999 Michel Dancoisne Martineau 69.0 Granted 
			  New Apostolic Church 0.37 Granted 
			 5 August 1999 Kelly Kosky and Kathleen Ann Kosky 35.41 Granted 
			 1 December 1999 Paul Oliver (Joint Ownership With Wife Who Is An Islander) 0.31 0.21 Granted 
			 16 March 2000 Mikael Per Olsson 10.7 Leasehold interest, granted 
			 12 August 2000 Eurnest Oliver Crouch and Ingrid Catharina Crouch 0.37 Withdrawn 
			 13 November 2000 Jeremy Robert White (joint ownership with wife who is an islander) 1.05 Granted 
			 6 September 2000 Mikael Per Olsson 0.8 Leasehold interest 
			 12 January 2001 Christopher Armstrong 0.0374 Granted 
			 11 January 2001 Michel Dancoisne Martineau 4.88 53.42 Granted 
			 1 March 2001 John Michael Styles and Lynnette Mary Bloomfield 3.5 Granted 
			 9 May 2001 Robin Anthony Fryatt (joint ownership with partner who is an islander) 0.45 0.37 Granted 
			 12 May 2001 Janet Lesley Barlow 0.247 Withdrawn 
			 24 July 2001 Richard David Harris 0.36 Withdrawn 
			 1 September 2002 Jean Florence Albert 6.8 Granted 
			 12 October 2003 Mark Loft (joint ownership with wife who is an islander) 0.19 Granted 
			 9 November 2003 John Reid (joint ownership with wife who is an islander) 0.78 Granted 
			 1 January 2004 Stephen Terry and Maureen Terry 0.32 Granted 
			 16 March 2004 Yvonne Helen Clingham 0.60 Granted 
			 21 May 2004 Nicholas Backhouse (husband of the late Cheryl Backhouse) 0.47 Pending 
			 5 July 2004 John Lawrence Terry and Maria Diosa Terry 0.63, 1.14 Granted 
			 5 September 2005 Jurgen Wolf and Johanna Wolf 0.32 Leasehold interest granted 
			 12 April 2005 John Turner and Catherine Jane turner 2.0 Granted 
			 1 July 2005 Frederick George 0.11 Granted 
			 19 September 2005 Ronald Scanes and Fe valiene Scanes 1.14 Pending 
			 26 April 2005 Shelco Investments 309.00 8.50 5.20 72.99 Pending 
			 26 April 2005 Shelco Investments 0.052 Pending 
		
	
	As part of the St. Helena Access project, DFID is supporting the St. Helena Government to develop appropriate investment and tourism policies aimed at both encouraging economic development and protecting the island's interests.

St. Helena

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many species of (a) insects and (b) plants are endemic to St. Helena.

Gareth Thomas: The standard work on the natural history of St. Helena and Ascension Island, jointly authored by Philip and Myrtle Ashmole and published in 2000, lists, as currently known to be endemic to St. Helena, approximately 385 species of invertebrates (of which approximately 285 are insects) and 50 species of plants (of which 37 are flowering plants and 13 are ferns).
	The protection of St. Helena's unique biodiversity currently benefits from a programme funded under the joint DFID/FCO Overseas Territories Environment Programme which seeks to implement a protected area plan for the Central Peaks including the control of invasive species and the restoration of endemic plants. St. Helena continues to have access to the project for the protection and enhancement of its biodiversity. Work to mitigate the effects on and to further protect the island's biodiversity is also a key component of the project to introduce air access to St. Helena.

Departmental Property

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was paid by her Department in 2004–05 in rent for properties in (a) total, (b) each (i) region and (ii) nation of the UK and (c) London.

David Lammy: The Department for Culture Media and Sport paid rents for properties in London as follows in 2004–05. (This is the net figure after receipt of rental income from private sector tenants.)
	£4,499,755
	The Department did not pay any rent outside London in 2004–05.

Airspace (Extraordinary Renditions)

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions and at what locations officials in the United Kingdom security services have questioned individuals who have been subject to an international rendition or other involuntary transfer by United States officials.

Jack Straw: It is not the Government's policy to comment on intelligence matters.

Airspace (Extraordinary Renditions)

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any aircraft used by United States officials for the purpose of an international rendition has landed at a UK airport.

Jack Straw: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him today (UIN 36414).

Airspace (Extraordinary Renditions)

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on the use of (a) UK airspace and (b) UK overseas territory for the purposes of extraordinary rendition flights involving those accused of terrorist activities; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for North East Fife (Sir Menzies Campbell) today (UIN 36414).

Airspace (Extraordinary Renditions)

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government have made representations to the US Administration regarding reports of the use of British territory and overseas territories, including sovereign bases, for purposes of extraordinary rendition flights involving those accused of terrorist activities; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for North East Fife (Sir Menzies Campbell) today (UIN 36414).

Chagos Islanders

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on plans for the return of the Chagos islanders to their homes.

Douglas Alexander: There are no plans to allow the Chagossians to return to the Chagos Archipelago.
	Two Orders in Council were made in June 2004: the British Indian Ocean Territory (Constitution) Order 2004 and the British Indian Ocean Territory (Immigration) Order 2004. These restored full immigration control over the entire British Indian Ocean Territory. In his written statement to Parliament on 15 June 2004, Official Report, columns 32–34WS, my hon. Friend, the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Bill Rammell stated,
	" . . . full immigration control over the entire Territory is necessary to ensure and maintain the availability and effective use of the Territory for defence purposes, for which it was in fact constituted and set aside in accordance with the UK's treaty obligations entered into almost 40 years ago."
	In the statement, Mr Rammell also said
	" . . . anything other than short-term resettlement on a purely subsistence basis would be high precarious and would involve expensive underwriting by the UK Government for an open-ended period—probably permanently."
	The Government's position has not changed.
	An application for judicial review of the Orders in Council will be heard by the High Court from 6 to 12 December 2005.

Colombia

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government will increase its financial support for the UN Human Rights Office in Bogotá to increase its capacity to observe the impact of the paramilitary demobilisation process on human rights; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The UK is already a significant financial supporter of the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) in Bogota. In the financial year 2005–06 we provided £400,000 in voluntary contributions to the office of the UNHCHR in Geneva, £100,000 of which was allocated to the Colombia office. Such matters are decided on a case by case and annual basis. The funding level for financial year 2006–07 is likely to be considered in March 2006. We also provide political support for the mandate of the UNHCHR. We view it as an important component in the search for peace and one that seeks to protect and promote the human rights of all sectors of society, particularly victims of the armed conflict.

Departmental Staff (Chronic Back Pain)

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what initiatives are being taken in his Department to help civil servants with chronic back pain.

Ian Pearson: All Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff have access to a full occupational health service provided by Capita Health Solutions through the FCO Healthcare Contract with International SOS. This includes work station assessments and advice on adjustments to working arrangements related to health problems. Training in manual handling is provided where appropriate.

Detention Centres (US Flights)

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information (a) he and (b) his officials have received about flights operated by United States agencies stopping in the UK en route to detention centres in (i) European Union states, (ii) other European states, (iii) non-European countries other than the United States and (iv) Guantanamo Bay.

Kim Howells: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement issued by the US Secretary of State on 5 December, available at http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2005/57602.htm, in response to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's letter to her of 29 November requesting clarification of reports of flights allegedly related to the transfer of terrorist suspects.

Guantanamo Bay

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the United States administration over the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

Kim Howells: We discuss Guantanamo Bay with the United States (US) Government on a regular basis. The US Government is well aware of our continuing concerns over the conditions of detainees there.

Mediterranean Countries

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment he has made of progress towards the goal of establishing an EU/Mediterranean free trade area by 2010.

Douglas Alexander: Progress towards Euro-Mediterranean free trade has been one of the main achievements of Euro-Mediterranean relations since the Euro-Mediterranean process was launched in 1995. Association Agreements covering free trade have been negotiated with all Southern Mediterranean partners. The liberalisation of trade in goods in the Mediterranean region is now a reality and most industrial goods originating in Southern Mediterranean countries enjoy duty free access to the EU. Conversely, Mediterranean countries are progressively dismantling tariffs on imports of EU industrial goods over a period of 12 years. The adoption in 2003 of a protocol on rules of origin has allowed economic operators to cumulate processing made in different countries of the region in order to obtain preferential treatment for their products more easily. Progress has also been made towards the conclusion of South-South agreements (eg the Agadir free trade agreement between Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco in 2004).
	At the recent Euro-Mediterranean Summit, Partners reiterated their commitment to the creation of a Free Trade Area by 2010 and agreed a set of measures to achieve this goal. This included the imminent launch of regional negotiations on services and investment and on agricultural products.

Sensitive Products

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the consistency with which trade rules on the protection of sensitive products are applied to (a) developed and (b) developing countries.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	Sensitive products are a new concept which form part of the Doha Development Agenda's Framework Agreement. The number and treatment of sensitive products have yet to be decided in the context of the Doha Development Agenda and therefore they have yet to be applied. However, in line with Framework Agreement these sensitive products will be available to all WTO members—developing and developed—and will be subject to lesser tariff cuts than non-sensitive products.
	In line with the principle of special and differential treatment for developing countries—based on the fact this is a development Round—developing countries will also have access to "special products". These special products are in addition to sensitive products and should be based on criteria of food security, livelihood security and rural development needs. Special products will be eligible for more flexible treatment, which has yet to be agreed.

Terrorist Suspects (Renditions)

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he was first informed that the United States was conducting international renditions of terrorist suspects; and what representations he has made to the US administration on such renditions.

Jack Straw: The term "rendition" is currently being used to describe informal transfers of individuals in a wide range of circumstances. Whether any particular "rendition" is lawful depends on the facts of each individual case. Where we are requested to assist another State and our assistance would be lawful, we will decide whether or not to assist taking into account all the circumstances. We would not assist in any case if to do so would put us in breach of UK law or our international obligations. In particular, we would not facilitate the transfer of an individual from or through the UK to another State where there were grounds to believe that the person would face a real risk of torture.
	Careful research by officials has been unable to identify any occasion since 11 September 2001, or earlier in the Bush administration, when we received a request for permission by the United States (US) for a rendition through UK territory or airspace, nor are we otherwise aware of such a case.
	Additional research covering the remainder of the period of office of this Government (i.e. back to May 1997) has been undertaken. This shows there were some renditions via the UK during that period. Specifically, we have identified two definite occasions in 1998 when requests were made by the US. These occasions, for which records have been identified, were for transfer to the US for the person concerned to stand trial there. As the then Home Secretary I agreed these requests.
	Although confirmatory records have yet to be identified, we believe that there may have been one or two other possible cases, also in 1998, which concerned requests by the US but for transfer to a third country. We have information on one such case which is incomplete and does not tell us whether the request was refused. We also have information on a case based on the recollection of officials involved in such matters, without any confirmatory records. The officials' recollection is that the case was refused. It is likely, but not certain, that the two cases are in fact one and the same. I have some recollection of such a case, but, given the passage of time, I cannot be certain. The search for records continues.

US Aircraft (Registration)

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions the Government have asked the US Administration what the purpose has been of aircraft registered with the United States Central Intelligence Agency landing at United Kingdom (a) civilian and (b) military airports since 11 September 2001.

Jack Straw: I refer to the hon. Member to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for North East Fife (Sir Menzies Campbell) today (UIN 36414).

Bankruptcies

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people living in (a) West Yorkshire, (b) Wakefield district and (c) Normanton constituency have been declared bankrupt in the last 12 months; and how many such declarations occurred during the Christmas period.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The regional breakdown available for the insolvency statistics is not directly comparable with standard administrative or electoral geographies. The insolvency "regions" are areas assigned to groups of official receivers and are based around the location of county courts where the cases are heard and of courts having jurisdiction over these. As such the Metropolitan County of West Yorkshire (including Wakefield) is best matched to the Leeds official receivers office, however there is some overlap with adjoining areas. The county courts covered by the Leeds Official Receivers Office are Bradford, Dewsbury, Halifax, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Keighley, Leeds, Otley, Pontefract, Skipton, Todmorden and Wakefield. Bankruptcy statistics are not available at a lower geographical level than official receivers offices.
	The following table records the number of individual bankruptcy orders classified under the Leeds Official Receivers' Office for the period October 2004 to September 2005 as a whole and for the months of December 2004 and January 2005 separately.
	
		Numbers of individual bankruptcies recorded under the Leeds official receivers office, October 2004 to September 2005
		
			  Bankruptcy orders 
		
		
			 12 month total 1,826 
			 December 2004 114 
			 January 2005 128

Broadband

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which post code areas in Westmorland and Lonsdale do not have access to broadband; and on what date broadband will be available in each of those areas.

Alun Michael: holding answer 2 December 2005
	The information is not available in the form requested.
	Great progress has been made towards providing broadband access everywhere and 99.6 per cent. of the population is now covered. This is considerable progress against the 2003 (80 per cent.) and 2004 (93 per cent.) figures.
	BT considers that it is not financially viable to enable the remaining exchanges. Regional development agencies are working to address the gaps in broadband access at a local level.

Business Start-ups

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new business start-ups there were in (a) the East of England, (b) Suffolk and (c) the constituency of Bury St. Edmunds in each of the last five years.

Alun Michael: The information is as follows:
	Business Start Ups in the East of England, Suffolk and St. Edmundsbury
	It is difficult to give absolutely firm figures of business start-ups. One measure is the number of registrations for VAT but VAT registrations do not capture all start-up activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold. Only 1.8 million out of 4.3 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2004.
	Information for VAT registrations is not available at a constituency level. Figures for St. Edmundsbury local authority district are therefore provided.
	
		
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 VAT Registrations  
			 East of England Government Office Region 17,595 16,555 17,710 18,510 17,580 
			 Suffolk County 2,040 1,860 2,075 2,130 2,050 
			 St. Edmundsbury 295 295 340 310 345 
			   
			 VAT Registrations per 10,000 adults  
			 East of England Government Office Region 39.9 37.5 40.1 41.9 39.8 
			 Suffolk County 37.0 33.7 37.6 38.6 37.2 
			 St. Edmundsbury 36.2 36.2 41.7 38.0 42.3

Clean Coal

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on the use of clean coal technology.

Malcolm Wicks: The Carbon Abatement Technologies Strategy which I announced on 14 June this year sets out the Government's policy and views for the future support for cleaner coal technologies. Copies of the Strategy are available in the Libraries of the House and at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/coal/cfft/cct/pub/catreportlinked.pdf

Construction Act Review

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  if he will consult in the forthcoming Construction Act Review on outlawing (a) pay when certified and (b) pay when paid arrangements;
	(2)  if he will consult in the forthcoming Construction Act Review on introducing measures to increase certainty on when a debt is created.

Alun Michael: Officials at the Department of Trade and Industry and Welsh Assembly Government are currently preparing an analysis of the responses to their consultation on Improving Payment Practices in the Construction Industry. The analysis will be published shortly and will set out the proposals we intend to take forward. We have already undertaken to consult further on amendments to the legislation. The construction industry and its stakeholders will have the opportunity to scrutinise the proposals at that stage.

Electricity Supplies

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action his Department is taking to ensure security of electricity supply this winter.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government believe that security of energy supply is best delivered by ensuring that market mechanisms provide incentives to energy suppliers to meet demand. This includes financial penalties, which can be very stringent depending on the overall balance of the market, where suppliers fail to balance the amount of electricity supplied by them to the national grid with the amount of electricity used by their customers. Responsibility for deciding how best to meet demandfor example, by restoring mothballed generating plants or building up coal stocks or back-up fuel for gas-fired power stationsrests with the electricity supply industry itself.

Energy (EU Relations)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the EU's international relations on energy issues in relation to (a) the EU-Russia energy dialogue, (b) the South East Europe energy treaty, (c) the EU-OPEC dialogue and (d) the energy charter treaty.

Malcolm Wicks: As I reported at the EU Energy Council on 1 December, a number of developments have taken place or are about to take place under the UK presidency of the EU with respect to the EU-Russia Energy Dialogue, the Energy Treaty with South East Europe EU-OPEC dialogue and the Energy Charter Treaty.
	EU-Russia Energy Dialogue
	The first EU-Russia Permanent Partnership Council on Energy was held in London on 3 October. Ministers discussed the work and future programme of the four Thematic Groups on Energy Efficiency, Trade, Investment and Infrastructure. The Council endorsed an interim list of actions for the groups to take forward. The work of these groups is proving valuable to both partners in the Dialogue and allows us to engage Russia on key issues, including those that are important in the run-up to the St. Petersburg G8 summit in 2006, where energy will be a priority.
	EU-OPEC Energy Dialogue
	The overall aim of the dialogue is to promote oil market stability and improve mutual understanding. At the dialogue meeting on 2 December in Vienna, we shared perspectives on recent oil market developments and discussed issues of common interest regarding technology. Expert-level roundtable meetings are being organised to develop practical areas of co-operation.
	The EU Energy Dialogues with both Russia and OPEC are an important part of a broader approach to developing the EU's relationship with major energy suppliers. This was one of the issues discussed at the informal EU Heads of State meeting at Hampton Court on 27 October which considered the challenges of globalisation.
	Treaty establishing an Energy Community (with South East Europe)
	I am pleased to confirm the signature of this treaty on 25 October. This treaty should facilitate the reconstruction of energy infrastructure in the Western Balkans, the establishment of an efficient energy market in the region and, eventually, its integration with the EU internal market, to the mutual benefit of these countries and EU member states.
	Energy Charter Treaty
	The negotiations on a Protocol on Energy Transit have continued with increased vigour under the UK presidency but we are not in a position to announce a final protocol. A conference is to be held on 9 December.

Energy Market Liberalisation

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on liberalisation of the energy market in the EU.

Malcolm Wicks: At the Energy Council on 1 December, the Commission presented two reportsDG TREN's Report on progress in creating the internal gas and electricity market (Council Document 14800/05) and DG Competition's Energy Sector Inquiry: Issues Paperon the further development of the internal energy market and possible structural barriers to competition within this sector. These were hard hitting and outlined serious deficiencies in the market. The Council agreed on the need for more work on implementing existing legislation and on releasing more information.
	The Council also unanimously agreed that secure supplies of electricity and gas, delivered on open, transparent and liberalised markets, are crucial for Europe's competitiveness.
	I am grateful for the commitment to further action given by the Commission at the Council. We will support proposals that help to accelerate the development of the internal market and, separately, expect the Commission to take early enforcement action against any who are acting against the interests of consumers.

Energy Review

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Energy Review will consider (a) the (i) level and (ii) targeting of research and development funding in the energy sector and (b) the role of (A) Government and (B) Ofgem in ensuring (1) security of supply, (2) affordable energy and (3) progress towards environmental targets.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 2 December 2005
	As the terms of reference of the review make clear, the Review is focussed on policy measures to help us deliver our objectives beyond 2010to maintain secure energy supplies, to tackle fuel poverty, to reduce carbon emissions and to promote competitive markets. It will consider a wide range of options, including the role of current generating technologies and new and emerging technologies. We believe that Ofgem as an independent economic regulator is central to the competitive operation of UK energy markets.

Energy Review

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the written statement on the Energy Review of 29 November 2005, Official Report, columns 1012WS, if he will list the membership of the review team; and which Department each works for.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 8 December 2005
	I will lead the Energy Review, which will be taken forward by a cross-departmental team.
	The review team will be based in DTI, with secondees from DEFRA, Department for Transport, HM Treasury and the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit. In addition there will be input from ODPM and FCO.
	The devolved Administrations and territorial Departments are already involved and will continue to be involved throughout the course of the review.

Hydro-power

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money the Government have invested in hydro-power technologies in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: It has not been possible to collate all public expenditure and other Government support since 1997 for hydropower in the time available at proportionate cost. However, it is possible to detail direct DTI expenditure on hydropower for these years through the New and Renewable Energy Programme. This are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   
		
		
			 199697 142,000 
			 199798 57,000 
			 199899 80,000 
			 19992000 138,000 
			 200001 60,000 
			 200102 130,000 
			 200203 200,000 
			 200304 85,000 
			 200405 0 
		
	
	There have also been sums allocated to Community and Household projects through the Clear Skies scheme. Grants have been allocated for hydro projects totalling; 200304 67,000, 200405 187,955 and 200506 95,880.

Identity Cards

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the (a) total and (b) net cost of (i) integrating the proposed identity card scheme into his Department's IT systems and (ii) the ongoing operation of the scheme within his Department.

Alan Johnson: The Department has not finalised current best estimates of the cost of using the ID Cards Scheme to support the services which it oversees.

Inward Investment

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value of inward investment grants made to English regional development agencies was in each year since 2001; and how these grants are dealt with in the allocation of expenditure as identifiable or non-identifiable in his Department's public expenditure statistical analyses.

Alun Michael: The total value of inward investment grants made to the English regional development agencies by UK Trade and Investment since 2001 is detailed in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Grant ( million) 
		
		
			 200102 12.78 
			 200203 12.93 
			 200304 12.93 
			 200405 13.23 
			 200506 15.23 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Grants to individual regional development agencies are made via the single pot formulaic distribution method.
	2. The grants to the regional development agencies are classified as non-identifiable in the 2005 public expenditure statistical analyses.

Isle of Grain Gas Terminal

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what limit there is on the number of companies that can use the liquefied natural gas import facilities at the Isle of Grain terminal.

Malcolm Wicks: There is no limit on the number of companies that can use the LNG import facilities at the Isle of Grain. The primary capacity has been auctioned by the terminal owner, and is fully contracted to two parties. If they do not use their contracted capacity, it should be made available to other parties under use it or lose it (UIOLI). Under the regulatory regime applying to this terminal, enforced by Ofgem, the terminal owner is required to facilitate UIOLI arrangements. On 5 December Ofgem announced that the terminal owners and primary capacity owners are improving the arrangements for transparency and UIOLI at the Isle of Grain facility.

Manufacturing/Processing Industries

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment he has made of the (a) state of and (b) future prospects for (i) manufacturing industry and (ii) process industries in (1) Hartlepool constituency, (2) the Tees Valley sub-region and (3) the North East Region.

Alun Michael: The Government is committed to supporting a high value, high skill manufacturing sector, capable of introducing new products and processes into the economy, creating new markets, and improving the prosperity of the regions. The manufacturing and process industries within Hartlepool, the wider Tees Valley and North East region are demonstrating the transition to higher value manufacturing, competitive within global marketsincluding through the newly formed North East Process Industries Cluster (NEPIC). The Government is also encouraged to see the high profile which the manufacturing and process sectors in the Tees Valley have within the North East's Regional Economic Strategy, and the work of ONE North East and local partners.

Micro-generation

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent in financial year 200506 under each micro-generation installation scheme; and what the projected spend for this full financial year is for each scheme.

Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is as follows.
	
		Clear Skies 
		
			 200506 Amount 
		
		
			 Spend 1,977,599 
			 Allocated 2,029,320 
			 Total(13) 4,006,919 
		
	
	(13) Projected spend for 200506.
	
		Photovoltaics Demonstration Programme 
		
			  Amount 
		
		
			 Spend 5,141,374 
			 Allocated 8,854,206 
			 Total(14) 13,995,580 
		
	
	(14) Projected spend for 200506.

Peninsular Power Ltd.

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has been made to (a) Torridge district council and (b) Devon county council concerning the grant of planning permission to Peninsular Power Ltd. in respect of a biomass energy generator at Winkleigh in Devon.

Malcolm Wicks: No representations have been made by DTI Energy Group to either Torridge district council or Devon county council. National policy on development of renewable energy projects is set out in Planning Policy Statement 22.

Peninsular Power Ltd.

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the South West Regional Development Agency about the payment of public funds to cover Peninsular Power Ltd.'s costs associated with the project to construct a biomass energy generator, which are not eligible under the Bio-energy Capital Grants scheme.

Malcolm Wicks: DTI routinely discuss matters of common interest with regional authorities and agencies regarding the projects it is supporting within their regions. Here, SWRDA funded elements of this project not eligible under the capital grants scheme from their own budgets as part of their own local bio-energy strategy.

Tourist Industry

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment he has made of the (a) state of and (b) future prospects for the tourist industry in (i) Hartlepool constituency, (ii) the Tees Valley sub-region and (iii) the North East Region.

Alun Michael: Since 1 April 2003, the English Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) have had strategic responsibility for tourism. This has helped to unlock a whole range of benefits for the industry, including clearer business support and links to wider services and resources.
	One NorthEast recently commissioned research by Global Tourism Solutions into the economic impact of tourism in the North East. This showed that in 2004:
	tourism in Hartlepool is worth 39 million and supports 900 jobs (Full Time Equivalents);
	in Tees Valley, tourism was worth 339 million and supported around 7,000 jobs;
	in the North East region, tourism was worth 1.8 billion and supported around 38,000 jobs;
	a total of 8.7 million overnight tourists visited the region in 2004, a 3 per cent. increase on the previous year.
	North East England Tourism Strategy, published in January 2005, sets out the region's target to increase tourism by 1.3 million domestic visits and 0.7 million visits per annum by 2010 against the baseline year of 2003.
	One NorthEast investment in tourism continues through its capital programme, and activities in regional marketing, business development, strategic planning and project development. For example, it is expected that Tees Valley will benefit from:
	20 million new investment at Durham/Tees Valley airport
	Development of the Coastal Arc
	Regeneration of Darlington Town Centre worth 200 million
	Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, 15 million project (currently under construction)
	One NorthEast is also investing 7 million over the next three years in a strategy to improve the image of North East England, a campaign which was awarded the World Travel Award for the world's best regional marketing campaign.

Zirconium Silicate (Iran)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether an export of zirconium silicate from the UK to Iran requires an export licence.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 6 December 2005
	Zirconium silicate may be controlled under entry 1C234 of the EC Regulation, as follows:
	Zirconium with a hafnium content of less than 1 part hafnium to 500 parts zirconium by weight, as follows: metal, alloys containing more than 50% zirconium by weight, compounds, manufactures thereof, waste or scrap or any of the foregoing. Note: 1C234 does not control zirconium in the form of foil having a thickness of 0.10mm or less.
	Additionally, its export may potentially be controlled, on a case by case basis, where the goods are to be used in connection with a WMD programme.

Iraq

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the security situation in Iraq.

John Reid: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today.

Iraq

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what remit has been given to Sir Ronnie Flanagan for his review of the Iraqi police force; when his report is due; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: holding answer 8 December 2005
	We keep progress on Security Sector Reform under close review and as part of that process we have asked Sir Ronnie Flanagan to provide both his objective assessment of the UK's policing programme in Iraq, and recommendations as to how to increase the effectiveness and neutrality of the wider Iraqi Police Service. Sir Ronnie has not yet concluded his assessments but we expect that he will report early in the new year.

Recruitment

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on recruitment trends in the UK armed forces.

Don Touhig: In the first six months of this financial year the armed forces gained 8,810 new recruits from civilian life. This represents 47 per cent. of this year's recruiting target. This level of achievement is comparable to the position at the 6-month point in the last financial year.
	Although armed forces recruitment is an area of concern, the level of interest and the number of applications has increased in recent months. It is now a matter of converting this interest into actual recruits. The Services continue to undertake numerous and varied initiatives, both at national and local level, aimed at increasing the level of recruitment.
	A sustained Recruiting Training and Retention Plan is providing a coordinated focus on Royal Marine recruiting.
	Infantry recruiting has now been highlighted as a main effort for the Army. In January 2006 an Infantry recruiting multi-media recruiting campaign is planned. The campaign is in the early days of development but will be designed to demonstrate the exciting and rewarding lifestyle and ethos of the Infantry.
	Recruitment remains buoyant across all branches and trades within the RAF.

Departmental Expenditure

Martin Horwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the Cabinet Office and its agencies have spent on (a) the design and production of new logos and (b) employing external (i) public relations and (ii) graphic design agencies in each year since 2000, broken down by project.

Jim Murphy: The following table details the projects and the amount the Cabinet Office has spent on the design and production of new logos, employing external public relations agencies and employing external graphic design agencies since 1 April 2004. The figures are exclusive of VAT.
	The Cabinet Office does not hold central records for this activity before 1 April 2004 and to provide the information requested before that date would incur disproportionate costs.
	
		
			  
			 Project Amount 
		
		
			 Design and production of new logos  
			 200405  
			 Development of Equalities Review Team 2,050.00 
			 Development of Leaders UK logo 500.00 
			 Development of Preparing for Emergencies logo 17,000 
			 Development of Government Communications Network logo 9,780.00 
			 200506  
			 Development of Government Communication Network Live logo 15,622.00 
			   
			 Employing external PR agencies  
			 200405  
			 Public Relations support for the Better Regulation Taskforce (BRTF) 34,250.00 
			 200506  
			 Public Relations support for the Better Regulation Taskforce (BRTF) 68,630.00 
			 Employing external design agencies  
			 200405  
			 Design of Government Social Research leaflet 854.00 
			 Design of Government Social Research exhibition stand 872.50 
			 Design and production of departmental Welcome Magazine 2,739.28 
			 Design of internal Government Car and Despatch Service leaflet 427.00 
			 Design and production of Government Car and Despatch Service annual report 12,292.00 
			 Design of guide for children attending charity receptions at 10 Downing Street 1,109.00 
			 Design of Civil Service Survey poster 1,700.00 
			 Design of template for cross departmental reports 7,800.00 
			 Layout of Better Regulation Taskforce annual report 2,290.00 
			 Design of Public Appointments Unit induction folder 1,000.00 
			 Design and layout of RIU transposition 1,100.00 
			 Redesign of Regulatory Impact Unit Code 60.00 
			 Design of e-Envoy School and Community Sport report 1,675.00 
			 Design of Regulatory Impact Unit Bereavement report 2,457.50 
			 Design of Regulatory Impact Unit Direct Payment report 693.00 
			 Design of CSIA Infosec Competencies 1,187.50 
			 Design of Fast Stream Times Top 100 entry 750.00 
			 Design of Fast Stream case studies and copy writing 450.00 
			 Design of Fast Stream flow chart 470.00 
			 Design services Fast Stream report cover 472.50 
			 Design and layout of Fast Stream competencies 270.00 
			 Redesign of Public Appointments Unit binder cover/spine 392.00 
			 Redesign of Ministerial Group pack cover 200.00 
			 Design of Regulatory Impact Unit report 596.50 
			 Design of Online Graduate Recruitment Service 1,500.00 
			 Design of Work Foundation Report 899.00 
			 Design of Work Foundation Case Studies 755.00 
			 200506  
			 Design of Central Sponsor for Information Assurance leaflets 110.00 
			 Layout of Fast Stream recruitment leaflet 315.00 
			 Design of Cabinet Office exhibition stand 870.00 
			 Design of internal Cabinet Office newsletter Issue 378 900.00 
			 Design of internal Cabinet Office newsletter Issue 376 1,187.00 
			 Design of internal Cabinet Office newsletter Issue 377 815.00 
			 Design of display panel for IT professional launch 475.00 
			 Redesign of OPSR Booklet 958.00 
			 Design of Public Appointments Unit electronic newsletter 360.00 
			 Design of Public Appointments Unit Play a Part newsletter 400.00

Departmental Expenditure

Martin Horwood: To ask the Prime Minister how much the office and its agencies have spent on (a) the design and production of new logos and (b) employing external (i) public relations and (ii) graphic design agencies in each year since 2000, broken down by project.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Murphy) today.

Extraordinary Renditions

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Prime Minister when he was first informed that the United States was conducting international renditions of terrorist suspects; and what representations he has made to the US administration on such renditions.

Tony Blair: I refer the right hon. Member to the answers I gave the right hon. Member for Ross, Skye and Lochaber (Mr. Kennedy) at Prime Minister's Questions on 7 December 2005, Official Report, column 86263.
	I also refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary (Jack Straw) today.

Guantanamo Bay

Peter Law: To ask the Prime Minister what reports he has received on the compliance with the Geneva human rights accords in respect of the United States detention camp at Guantanamo Bay.

Tony Blair: The United States Government regard the detainees at Guantanamo Bay as enemy combatants under the Laws of War and not as Prisoners of War under the Geneva Convention.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick), at Prime Minister's Questions on 7 December 2005, Official Report, column 867.

Ministerial Travel

Greg Hands: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  pursuant to his answer of 21 November 2005, Official Report, column 1661W, on ministerial travel, which aspects of travel on the London Underground are covered by the code;
	(2)  pursuant to his answers of 21 November 2005, Official Report, column 1661W and 5 December 2005, Official Report, column 1038W, on ministerial travel, what account he takes of the guidance document Travel by Ministers in deciding whether to travel by underground on official business.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 21 November 2005, Official Report, column 1661W and 5 December 2005, Official Report, column 1038W.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Hoon) during the Business Statement on 8 December 2005, Official Report, column 1006.

2012 Olympics

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps are being taken to enhance the skills base to enable people to participate in sustainable construction for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Phil Hope: ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council responsible for recruiting and training the UK's construction work force, has announced a special teamConstructing London 2012to deliver locally available construction skills to build the Olympic and Paralympic infrastructure operating as part of the Strategic Forum Olympic Task Group. Constructing London 2012 will work with partners to recruit and train local people ensuring that building the Olympic infrastructure provides sustainable skills and job opportunities for people resident in East London through a range of newly targeted initiatives.
	In addition, the recently announced Construction National Skills Academy will have a significant impact on developing construction skills for the Olympic infrastructure and other London-based construction projects. One of its first on-site centres is expected to be launched in the Thames Gateway area during the last quarter of 2006.
	A significant proportion of ConstructionSkills' 2006 Inspire Scholarships will be targeted on Olympic projects. These provide around 9,000 to support undergraduates on construction-related degree courses through university.

Adult Education

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2005, Official Report, column 1613W, on adult education, what percentage of colleges charged fees to adults for a first full level 2 course, in each year since 200102.

Bill Rammell: Reliable Information about the prior qualifications of learners, that would enable us to identify those who have paid tuition fees for a first full level 2 qualification, is not available at a college level for the years since 2001/02. Information is available about those studying for a full level two qualification and paying tuition fees but not whether such qualifications are a first level 2 qualification for the individual.
	In a recent survey of learners 1 in FE a third of learners on a first full level 2 course said they paid fees.
	1 Prior Qualifications of Adult Learners in Further Education. DfES Research Report 677.

Education (Southend-on-Sea)

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average A level point score per candidate was in Southend-on-Sea local authority for each year from 1997 to 2005.

Jacqui Smith: The A Level average point scores per 16 to 18-year-old candidate for Southend-on-Sea local authority can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  APS per candidate 
		
		
			 1997/98 17.2 
			 1998/99 17.8 
			 1999/2000 17.8 
			 2000/01 17.7 
			 2001/02 272.6 
			 2002/03 257.3 
			 2003/04 293.9 
			 2004/05 308.3 
		
	
	Point score calculations
	1997/981999/2000: The average GCE A/AS point score per student entered for the equivalent of 2 or more A/AS examinations, with a point score based on the following tariff:
	
		Table 1
		
			 A Level AS AGNVQ 
			 Grade Points Grade Points Grade Points 
		
		
			 A 10 A 5 Distinction 18 
			 B 8 B 4   
			 C 6 C 3 Merit 12 
			 D 4 D 2   
			 E 2 E 1 Pass 6 
		
	
	2000/01: The average point score per student entered for at least one A level or Advanced GNVQ, based on the points tariff shown in table 1.
	2001/02: The average GCE/VCE A/AS point score per student. The point score for each grade are as follows (based on the UCAS points tariff).
	
		Table 2
		
			 GCE/VCE AS GCE/VCE A level VCE A level Double Award Score 
		
		
			   AA 240 
			   AB 220 
			   BB 200 
			   BC 180 
			   CC 160 
			   CD 140 
			  A DD 120 
			  B DE 100 
			  C EE 80 
			 A D  60 
			 B   50 
			 C E  40 
			 D   30 
			 E   20 
			 N/U/X N/U/X U 0 
		
	
	2002/032004/05: The average GCE/VCE A/AS and key skills point score per candidate. Points are as in table 2 but with a key skill at Level 3 pass equivalent to 20 points.

Free School Meals

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils there were on (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) special schools rolls in (i) England, (ii) London and (iii) each London borough in each of the last five years; and how many (A) took and (B) were eligible for free school meals in each case.

Jacqui Smith: The requested information has been placed in the House Libraries.

Head Teachers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures she is taking to reduce the burden of administration on head teachers.

Jacqui Smith: First we are determined that head teachers have the time and support to provide good leadership to manage their schools. That is why from the start of this school year every head teacher has a contractual entitlement to dedicated headship time. Head teachers must have dedicated time to lead their schools, as well as manage them.
	And with the right leadership much school management can be delegated effectively. Through our workforce remodelling agenda we are supporting schools in recruiting very many numbers of administrative and support staff to free school leaders to lead and teachers time to teach. This ensures the best use of resources to improve outcomes for children.
	We are also establishing a new relationship with schools; this will strip away clutter and bureaucracy in schools. Key aspects include the introduction of an improved and streamlined data collection system, more user-friendly communications (ordering publications online when the schools require them rather than when DfES sends them out automatically) and fewer of them; and a Single Plan from which Ofsted and other bodies will draw on information about the school and its performance. This will make the planning process more coherent and less time-consuming.
	We remain determined to make sure our policies have the maximum impact on standards with the minimum burden on head teachers. That is why we have announced in the recent Schools White Paper that the independent Implementation Review Unit, (IRU) will continue to serve until at least 2008. The IRU, which is a group of practising head teachers and senior staff in schools will therefore continue to scrutinise our policies and ensure that we understand the impact of our initiatives on schools and how best to introduce them from a schools perspective.

Higher Education

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what (a) the cash cost and (b) the resource cost for income contingent loans for full-time higher education students was in England in 200304; and what the equivalent allocations are for (i) 200506, (ii) 200607 and (iii) 200708.

Bill Rammell: Student loans are budgeted and accounted for using resource costs: forecasts of future cash expenditure on student loans are used only to help cash management in the Department and across Government.
	(a) The cash costs for income contingent loans for full-time higher education students are shown in table 1.
	
		Cash cost/allocations of Maintenance and Fee Loans (England and Wales)  million
		
			 Financial year Amount 
		
		
			 200304 (23)2,399 
			 200405 (23)2,474 
			 200506 (24)2,679 
			 200607 (24)3,290 
			 200708 (24)4,050 
		
	
	(23) Outturn.
	(24) Allocation.
	Note:
	Table 1Cash costs/allocations for income contingent loans for full-time higher education students.
	The figures are given for England and Wales because the cash implications of the devolution of student support to the National Assembly for Wales from Academic Year 2006/07 have yet to be completed.
	(b) The resource costs for income contingent loans for full-time higher education students are shown in table 2.
	
		Resource cost/allocations (England and Wales)(25)  million
		
			 Financial year Maintenance loans Fee loans 
		
		
			 200304 745  
			 200405 755  
			 200506 598  
			
			 Resource allocations England(26) 
			 200607 572 141 
			 200708 576 349 
		
	
	(25) DfES Departmental Annual Report 2005, table 12.2.
	(26) DfES DAR 2005, table 12.2, adjusted to take account of Wales Devolution (England only).
	Note:
	Table 2Resource costs/allocations for income contingent loans for full-time higher education students.
	Resource costs/allocations are shown for England and Wales prior to the devolution of student support to the National Assembly for Wales in financial year 200607, and for England only thereafter.
	From financial year 200506 the student loans resource accounting and budgeting charge is reduced as a result of the change in the Treasury Discount Rate from 3.5 per cent. to 2.2 per cent. This affects comparison of resource costs between financial year 200405 and financial year 200506.

Learning and Skills Council

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 9 November 2005, Official Report, column 598W, on the Learning and Skills Council, why the figure for the administration costs in 200405 differs from that provided in Learning and Skills Council Annual Report and Accounts 200304.

Bill Rammell: The apparent difference is presentational and the following table shows the separate components that made up the LSC Administration costs for the 200304 LSC Annual Accounts, and the answer of 9 November. The costs in both cases total the same. The difference is that the LSC Accounts show five categories under the Administration heading. The written reply of 9 November has combined three of these categories, Depreciation, Loss on Disposal, and Loss on Impairment categories into one.
	
		
			   000 
			  200304 
			  Admin costs LSC accounts LSC admin costs written answer of 9 November 2005 
		
		
			 Staff Costs 149,097 149,097 
			 Other Costs 82,937 82,937 
			 Depreciation 13,946  
			 Loss on disposal of obsolete fixed assets 157  
			 Loss on Impairment 2,996  
			 Depreciation, impairment and losses  17,099 
			 Total Administration costs 249,133 249,133

Learning and Skills Council

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2005, Official Report, column 178W, on the Learning and Skills Council, what the reason is for the difference between the sum reported for expenditure on Local Intervention and Development in the answer and the total expenditure on Local Intervention and Development reported in the Learning and Skills Council Annual Report and Accounts 200405.

Bill Rammell: The figures in the following table are from the statutory accounts and are correct. The reason for the discrepancy with the figures quoted pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2005, Official Report, column 178W on the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is that, for operational purposes, the LSC combine the Learner Participation and Local Intervention and Development Fund (LIDF) into one budget. The reporting of these budgets separately is purely for statutory reporting purposes and cannot be accurately disaggregated.
	
		
			   000 
			  Financial year 200405 Statutory accounts Answer 28 November 2005 
		
		
			 Learning Participation 6,396.6 6,548.7 
			 School Sixth Forms 1,654.8 1,654.8 
			 Local Intervention and  Development 278.0 125.9 
			 Capital 372.3 372.3 
			 Administration 233.2 232.9 
			 AME 20.8 20.8 
			 Total 8,955.7 8,955.4

Learning and Skills Council

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2005, Official Report, column 178W on the Learning and Skills Council, what the reason is for the difference between the figures reported and the figures in the Learning and Skills Council Annual Report and Accounts 200405.

Bill Rammell: pursuant to the reply, 28 November 2005, Official Report, c. 178W
	On the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) I confirm that the figures in the following table from the LSC 200405 statutory accounts and are correct. The reason for the discrepancy with the figures quoted in the answer on 28 November is that for operational purposes the LSC combine the Learner Participation and Local Intervention and Development Fund (LIDF) into one budget and some 152.1 million appropriate to LIDF was included under Learning Participation. The disaggregation of these budgets is purely for statutory reporting.
	
		
			   000 
			  Financial year 200405 Statutory accounts Answer 28 November 2005 
		
		
			 Learning Participation 6,396.6 6,548.7 
			 School Sixth Forms 1,654.8 1,654.8 
			 Local Intervention and  Development 278.0 125.9 
			 Capital 372.3 372.3 
			 Administration 233.2 232.9 
			 AME 20.8 20.8 
			 Total 8,955.7 8,955.4

Missing Children

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in local authority care were reported missing from care to the police in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by (a) local authority area, (b) age and (c) sex.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Department. Details of looked after children with at least one missing placement, in the years ending 31 March 19942004 may be found on the Department's website at: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000569/index.shtml.

National Curriculum

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will amend the national curriculum in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools to include a section that informs students of the benefits of wearing seat belts; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: There is sufficient scope within the non-statutory framework for personal social and health education for schools to explore road safety, including the wearing of seat belts. The Department has issued Safety Education: Guidance for Schools to support schools in developing effective approaches to teaching and learning in safety education.

Post-16 Education

Edward Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of teenagers in Doncaster North have stayed in education after reaching 16 years of age in each year since 1995.

Bill Rammell: The percentage of 16-year-olds in full-time education at the end of 2004 was estimated to be 73.3 per cent.the highest ever rate. Percentage figures on participation in education by young people are not available for parliamentary constituencies, but are available for local authoritiesincluding Doncaster LEA. These were published in the Statistical First Release Participation in education and training by 16 and 17-year-olds in each local area in EnglandSFR11/2005 published on 31 March 2005.
	The publication is accessible on the DfES website via the link, http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000568/index.shtml
	The specific figures are available through the following link: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000568/SFR112005tables_lea.xls

School Buildings Repair

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the backlog of school buildings repair and maintenance work in Southend; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Based on data supplied to the Department by the Authority in 2003, schools in Southend have repair and maintenance requirements of 20 million. Costs have been updated to current costs. In addition to backlog repair work, the figure covers work needed over a five year period from the dates of the assessments, including cyclical and scheduled maintenance.
	Southend and its schools have been allocated nearly 26 million of capital support over the next three years (200508).

School Improvement Partners

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the (a) pay levels and (b) gender balance will be of school improvement partners who (i) are also serving head teachers and (ii) are not head teachers but are drawn from the complement of local authority educational advisory and related staff.

Jacqui Smith: Pay levels are not determined centrally, because school improvement partners work under contract to the maintaining authorities of the schools with which they work. In each case it is for the authority to negotiate the pay level, either with the school improvement partner or with the school improvement partner's employer. We have no plans to set up central records of pay levels.
	The gender balance of the school improvement partners is not determined in advance. At present there are school improvement partners for about one fifth of the secondary schools in England. The numbers, broken down by gender, are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Women Men 
		
		
			 Serving head teachers 28 57 
			 Local authority educational advisory staff 39 39 
			 Independent consultants 6 7 
			 Total 73 103 
		
	
	Among those who are not head teachers, there is no gender imbalance. Among the head teachers, the proportions of men and women match closely the proportions among secondary head teachers as a whole:
	
		
			  Women Men 
		
		
			 Percentage of secondary head teachers  (2003) 32.5 67.5 
			 Percentage of secondary head teacher school  improvement partners 32.9 67.1

Schools (Haringey)

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in Hornsey and Wood Green are expected to run a deficit in the 200506 financial year; what the reasons given for a forecast deficit are in each case; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not yet available. The Department is due to collect the section 52 outturn data relating to the 200506 financial year from October 2006.

Alcohol-related Crime

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests were made by the British Transport police for (a) selling alcohol or attempting to sell alcohol to a person who is drunk, (b) selling alcohol or attempting to sell alcohol to an individual under 18 years, (c) being drunk and disorderly, (d) being drunk and incapable and (e) violence against the person, broken down by British Transport police area in each year for which figures are available.

Derek Twigg: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of arrests for being drunk and disorderly, being drunk and incapable, and for violence against the person is given in the following table. The information requested in parts (a) and (b) can be provided by the British Transport police only at disproportionate cost. There is no offence of drunk and disorderly behaviour in Scotland.
	
		
			Number 
			 Offence category BTP Area 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Drunk and Disorderly London North 60 103 73 102 108 99 
			  London South 69 80 99 91 141 116 
			  London Underground 42 44 54 62 98 112 
			  North Eastern 95 178 157 167 171 104 
			  North Western 117 117 82 126 162 104 
			  Wales and Western 66 94 113 101 114 108 
			  Force Total 449 616 578 649 794 643 
			 
			 Drunk and Incapable London North 10 12 7 5 11 4 
			  London South 5 7 18 5 7 7 
			  London Underground 4 2 2 2 0 4 
			  North Eastern 1 1 2 0 7 5 
			  North Western 5 2 3 3 1 0 
			  Scottish 2 4 6 7 8 6 
			  Wales and Western 12 20 21 10 15 13 
			  Force Total 39 48 59 32 49 39 
			 
			 Violence against the person(28) London North 144 234 216 251 324 365 
			  London South 325 364 369 390 424 455 
			  London Underground 299 265 307 359 411 491 
			  North Eastern 78 113 141 126 159 185 
			  North Western 139 129 134 199 220 205 
			  Scottish 25 20 21 28 56 47 
			  Wales and Western 121 167 195 193 241 284 
			  Force Total 1,131 1,292 1,383 1,546 1,835 2,032 
		
	
	(28) It should be noted that changes in the National Crime Recording Standards (NCRS) in 2002 led to a rise in the number of crimes recorded.

Border Management Programme

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to evaluate the effectiveness of the border management programme.

Tony McNulty: The White Paper One Step AheadA 21st Century Strategy to Defeat Organised Crime tasked HM Revenue and Customs, IND and the police to work together to develop options for providing more effective border controls through enhanced inter-agency co-operation.
	The border management programme is intended to develop this capacity for more effective working between the agencies in order to maximise border security whilst minimising the impact on legitimate traffic. The programme commenced a number of trials in early 2005 to test various aspects of shared working at the border.
	Emerging findings are being considered and plans for further development of the programme and implementation are currently being established. These will include arrangements for further review, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation processes.

Correspondence

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 10 August from the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham about Mr. and Mrs. Bloxham of Sompting, West Sussex.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 2 December 2005
	I replied to the hon. Member on 6 December 2005.

Custodial Sentences (Southend)

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) minors and (b) adults normally resident in Southend are serving custodial sentences.

Fiona Mactaggart: Information is not recorded centrally on the home address of prisoners in England and Wales. Information is, however, held on the court that a prisoner is committed to or sentenced at.
	On 31 October 2005 there were 1,006 sentenced prisoners held in prison establishments in England and Wales who were sentenced at courts in Essex, as recorded on the Prison Service IT system. 880 of these were adults and 126 were young adults or juveniles (i.e. aged between 15 and 20).

Life Prisoners

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what conditions need to be met by a life prisoner to enable him or her to be considered for parole.

Fiona Mactaggart: The question of a lifer sentence prisoner's suitability for release cannot be considered until the prisoner has served the minimum period of imprisonment considered necessary for the purposes of retribution and deterrence (the tariff period). Exceptionally, the Secretary of State may release a life sentence prisoner prior to tariff expiry where he is satisfied that exceptional circumstances exist to justify such action on compassionate grounds. All life sentence prisoners are entitled to have their suitability for release considered by the independent Parole Board on, or shortly before, the expiry of their tariff. They will then be entitled to further reviews of their detention at no more than two yearly intervals thereafter.
	There is no other specific condition imposed on a life sentence prisoner in relation to his or her consideration for release. Once the tariff has been served, the general issue governing release is the level of risk of serious harm that the prisoner may pose to others. The responsibility for assessing such risk and for directing the release of a tariff expired life sentence prisoner is now a matter for the Parole Board. The board is required by statute to satisfy itself that it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public that the prisoner should be confined, and to direct release when it is so satisfied.
	The Parole Board will take relevant factors into account when making its assessments of risk in individual cases. The various key factors are set out in Directions given by the Secretary of State under section 32 (6) of the Criminal Justice Act 1991. Copies of the latest Directions are available from the Library.

Prisons

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued to prison governors in respect of the dietary requirements of diabetic inmates; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 1 November 2005
	The Prison Service Catering Manual provides general food policy guidance to all prisons. The manual, Prison Service Order 5000, provides full guidance on hygiene and food safety, nutritional requirements and diets for special groups. Prisons and their national health service (NHS) partners are implementing the National Service Framework (NSF) for diabetes. In line with the NSF, improvements in the treatment of diabetics in prison include: better identification on reception into prison; assuring an appropriate diet; the establishment of specialist diabetes clinics in prison; closer links with NHS diabetes services; the introduction of retinopathy screening and practice-based registers as well as improved continuity of treatment on transfer or release.

Prisons

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to minimise the effect of passive smoking on prison (a) employees and (b) inmates; what guidance he has issued to prison governors in respect of his policy on the sharing of cells between smoking and non-smoking inmates; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 1 November 2005
	Each prison develops its own no smoking policy in line with current health and safety advice and taking into account the type of establishment it is, its population and the special needs of that population. Such local arrangements also require staff to be protected from the effects of passive smoking. Wherever possible prisoners should not be required to share accommodation with a smoker if they so request.

Voter Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the population is registered to vote in each constituency in the United Kingdom (a) ranked in descending order and (b) broken down by region and ranked in descending order.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 12 December 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the percentage of the population who are registered to vote in each Parliamentary Constituency. I am replying in her absence. (36887)
	I am placing in the House of Commons Library tables showing the requested information.
	Population data by Parliamentary Constituency are not available on an annual basis, consequently the tables have been prepared from 2001 Census data. Constituencies in Scotland, therefore, are those that were in place prior to the last election.
	In order to give an estimate of the number of electors on Census day (29 April 2001), a weighted average is taken of the 1 February 2001 and 1 December 2001 electoral data. Data are given for Parliamentary electorate. Data for the local/European electorate, by Parliamentary Constituency are not readily available for 2001.
	For the purposes of answering this question, we have assumed that you are interested in the percentage of the population aged 18 and over who are registered to vote. However it should be noted that the percentage of residents who are registered to vote in each Constituency is not a reliable estimate of the registration rate of the eligible population: the resident population aged 18 and over is not the same as the number of people eligible to vote.
	The UK Parliamentary electorate excludes residents of countries other than the UK and the Commonwealth and includes UK citizens resident abroad. In addition not everyone who is usually resident is entitled to vote (foreign citizens from outside of the EU and Commonwealth. prisoners, etc, are not eligible) and people who have more than one address may register in more than one place. Also there is inevitably some double counting of the registered electorate as electoral registration officers vary in how quickly they remove people from the registers after they have moved away from an area or after they have died. This latter is the main reason why in some Constituencies the population aged 18 and over is less than those registered to vote. These factors may have a different impact from place to place.
	Furthermore, you should note that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revised the mid-2001 population estimates since the publication of the 2001 Census results. In September 2003, revisions were made that added approximately 193,000 to the population of England and Wales. This revision primarily related to the addition of a number of young males that were not captured by the Census. In September 2004, ONS made further revisions as a result of concluding studies designed to improve population estimates in the areas that proved hardest to count in the 2001 Census in England and Wales. The results of this work showed that the Census worked well in most areas, but that there were a few cases where it was not able sufficiently to adjust for exceptional circumstances. The analysis showed that there was a need for revisions to the 2001 Census based population estimates of around 107,000 for England and Wales as a whole. The adjustments were included in the new mid-year population estimates for 2001, published in 2004. The census database itself was not revised following the publication of these adjustments. More details on these issues can be found at: www.statistics.gov.uk/lastudies
	Any comparison of these data with figures for other years should be made carefully as electoral legislation and other changes (such as EU expansion) can change the size of the electorate.

Designated Growth Areas

Anne Main: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2005, Official Report, columns 168889W, on designated growth areas 
	(1)  what plans his Department has to make available to local authorities information regarding infrastructure costs in designated growth areas;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of (a) the adequacy of existing infrastructure in designated growth areas and (b) whether the infrastructure is sufficient to support planned growth; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what (a) assessment will be made of infrastructure requirements and (b) infrastructure will be put in place in designated growth areas before planned development begins;
	(4)  what assessment (a) has been made and (b) is planned to be made of (i) the age profile of those expected to move into designated growth areas and (ii) the effect of that profile on the (A) infrastructure and (B) housing needs of those areas.

Yvette Cooper: The Government have stated on a number of occasions that building sustainable communities means more than building new houses and that additional infrastructure and services will be required in support of a growing population as well as the existing population.
	Infrastructure results vary widely from one area to another and from one development to another, and so it is not possible to apply a general formula to growth plans. In order to underpin the plans for the growth areas, studies were commissioned on the growth areas (e.g. the 2002 Milton Keynes and South Midlands study undertaken by Roger Tym and Partners) and on individual locations within the growth areas (e.g. the 2003 Milton Keynes and Aylesbury Growth Area studies, also prepared by Roger Tym and Partners). These studies have included information on infrastructure requirements and costing and have been made public in order to inform the regional planning documents relevant to the growth areas (e.g. the Milton Keynes South Midlands Sub-Regional Strategy). The sub-regional strategies are now being taken forward at local level and local partners are doing their own work to prioritise and cost the infrastructure associated with growth. The Government are not planning to commission additional studies to estimate infrastructure requirements and costs for each of the growth areas.
	Both housing development and infrastructure investment are on-going activities. The allocation of individual houses and expenditures on infrastructure to growth and background levels is not a practical option. Nor is it practical or desirable to halt all development until all of the investment contemplated in support of that development is in place. Indeed, infrastructure requirements will change over time, reflecting, for example, the detailed geography of housing and jobs, as well as changes in technology, consumer preferences and service provision. Rather, infrastructure needs to be put in place on a timely basis to support growth in a locality and needs to be planned for on a dynamic basis. We look to local partners, in particular the local delivery vehicles, to construct their business plans accordingly and to work with regional and national bodies in prioritising funding towards timely provision of infrastructure.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has produced variant population projections for the four growth areas. These were done at local authority level and projected forward population projections based on current population trends and likely additional housing due to the area being a growth area. The assumed additional population was based on past trends regarding births, deaths, household formation rates and migration.
	Government looks to regional and local partners to plan dynamically for changing demographics. For example, the Learning and Skills Councils in the Milton Keynes South Midlands sub-region have collaborated on a study on the long-term learning and skills needs of the area. This study embraces a variety of demographic scenarios and recognises the need to take a strategic approach to planning infrastructure which is adaptable to a range of scenarios.

Fire Services

James Gray: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost will be of removing the Wiltshire Fire Services Control Room from the joint services control room at Devizes when the Regional Control Room in Taunton has been completed.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Specific figures are not yet available for moving individual fire control rooms, as the FiReControl business case only exists at national level. The one-off gross cost of implementing networked regional control centres in England is forecast to be 160 million.
	For Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority there may be a financial penalty associated with withdrawing from the tri-service arrangements at Devizes. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is in discussion with the authority about meeting such costs under the new burdens rules.

Regional Policy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research he has evaluated on whether regional (a) economic and (b) social differences have changed since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: To support the 2004 PSA target to make sustainable improvements in the economic performance of the English regions, independent research to summarise the economic base was commissioned in 2004. The report of this work Regional Growth Report was published in September 2004 and is available from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/index.asp?id=l139483.

Town and Parish Councils

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the average total combined cost of clerking, insurance and audit fees for town and parish councils in England in the last year for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: Information about the cost of employing parish council clerks and the cost of insuring town and parish councils in England is not collected centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Information provided by the Audit Commission shows that parish and town councils and parish meetings collectively paid approximately 1.9 million in audit fees for the year 200304.

Town and Parish Councils

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average precept at band D levied by town and parish councils in England was in each of the last 10 years.

Phil Woolas: Reliable figures for the average band D council taxes set by parish and town councils in each of the last 10 years are not available. This is becausealthough the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister collects information on the total amounts of council tax precepted by parish and town councilsinformation on the taxbases (numbers of band D-equivalent dwellings) to which the precepts relate, which is needed to calculate average figures, is not collected centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	As stated in Table A2b of Local Government Financial Statistics England No. 16 2005, the average band D council tax set by parish and town councils for 200506 has been estimated to be 42. But this is dependent upon an estimate of the taxbase for the area to which the precepts relate which is not robust enough to give a reliable set of figures over time.
	The total amount of council tax precepted by parish and town councils in England in each of the last 10 years are tabled as follows. While this gives a broad indication of the trend in average precepts, it also reflects an increase in the number of parish and town councils, with about 150 new ones having been created since 1997.
	
		
			   million 
			  Financial year Total amount precepted by parish and town councils 
		
		
			 199697 133 
			 199798 144 
			 199899 154 
			 19992000 165 
			 200001 181 
			 200102 193 
			 200203 210 
			 200304 226 
			 200405 242 
			 200506 260

Class Sizes

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average class size for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the integrated sector in Northern Ireland was in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The average class size for primary schools in the integrated sector in Northern Ireland was as follows:
	
		
			  Average class size 
		
		
			 199596 23.0 
			 199697 22.8 
			 199798 23.2 
			 199899 23.8 
			 19992000 24.3 
			 200001 24.7 
			 200102 24.9 
			 200203 24.9 
			 200304 24.5 
			 200405 24.8 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The average class size quoted refers to year 1 to year 7 pupils in composite and non-composite classes.
	2. The figures include controlled integrated and grant maintained integrated schools.
	The requested information in respect of secondary schools was not collected at the time, and any attempt to do so retrospectively would be problematic and could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Class Sizes

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average class size was in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the (i) Banbridge, (ii) Lurgan and (iii) Portadown area in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The requested information is as follows:
	
		
			  Schools in 
			  Banbridge Portadown Lurgan 
		
		
			 199596 24.6 23.6 24.9 
			 199697 25.9 23.6 25.2 
			 199798 25.9 23.4 24.9 
			 199899 25.4 23.2 24.8 
			 19992000 25.5 23.0 24.6 
			 200001 255 23.8 243 
			 200102 24.7 24.1 24.4 
			 200203 25.1 24.2 23.8 
			 200304 26.7 23.3 23.7 
			 200405 26.5 23.3 24.1 
		
	
	Note:
	1. The average class size quoted refers to year 1 to year 7 pupils in composite and non-composite classes.
	2. Data refers to schools located within the specified towns. Schools that are no longer open have not been included (except in the case of amalgamations).
	The requested information in respect of secondary schools was not collected at the time, and any attempt to do so retrospectively would be problematic and could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Class Sizes

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average class size was for (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in the (i) controlled and (ii) maintained sector in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The average class size for primary schools in the controlled and maintained sectors in Northern Ireland was as follows:
	
		
			  Controlled sector Maintained sector 
		
		
			 199596 24.0 24.1 
			 l99697 24.1 24.0 
			 199798 23.8 23.8 
			 199899 24.2 23.9 
			 19992000 24.2 23.6 
			 200001 24.0 23.4 
			 200102 23.6 23.2 
			 200203 23.5 23.1 
			 200304 23.4 22.9 
			 200405 23.2 22.8 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The average class size quoted refers to year 1 to year 7 pupils in composite and non-composite classes.
	2. The figures for the controlled sector do not include controlled integrated schools.
	The requested information in respect of secondary schools was not collected at the time, and any attempt to do so retrospectively would be problematic and could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessments

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much public funding the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessments has received in each of the last five financial years.

Angela Smith: The information sought is as follows:
	
		
			  000 
			  Public funding received 
		
		
			 200001 11,230 
			 200102 12,317 
			 200203 13,996 
			 200304 16,275 
			 200405 17,302 
		
	
	These figures relate to funding provided by the Department of Education and, from 200304, also from the Department of Employment and Learning.

Examinations (Remarking)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pupils in Northern Ireland have requested to have their (a) GCSE and (b) A level examination papers re-marked in each of the last 10 years; and how many pupils had their grade improved as a result of re-marking in each year.

Angela Smith: The Council for the Curriculum, Assessment and Examinations has supplied details for candidates taking its examinations from 2001 when the information was computerised. This does not include candidates taking examinations with a number of other awarding bodies that offer GCSEs and A levels in Northern Ireland.
	
		
			 Series Total A level requests Total A level upgrades Total GCSE requests Total GCSE upgrades 
		
		
			 2001 
			 Spring 153 0 3 0 
			 Summer 1,462 168 1,515 291 
			 Winter (36) (36) 16 1 
			  
			 2002 
			 Spring 81 0 0 0 
			 Summer 1,768 158 1,627 344 
			 Winter (36) (36) 18 5 
			  
			 2003 
			 Spring 161 0 3 0 
			 Summer 2,156 203 2,027 533 
			 Winter (36) (36) 33 2 
			  
			 2004 
			 Spring 181 1 3 0 
			 Summer 1,956 224 2,472 645 
			 Winter (36) (36) 44 12 
			  
			 2005 
			 Spring 186 2 0 0 
			 Summer 2,265 237 2,927 705 
		
	
	(36) No A level examinations held in winter session

Public Administration (Savings)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will break down the 200 million annual savings that were indicated would be achieved in Northern Ireland as a result of the implementation of the Review of Public Administration by main budget heading.

Angela Smith: Consultants have estimated savings from the RPA decisions at 140-200 million per year. These estimates are based on benchmarks of best practice achieved by other organisations and can be broken down as follows.
	
		
			   million 
			 Organisation Estimated savings 
		
		
			 Local government 5473 
			 Education 1830 
			 Health 4171 
		
	
	Note:
	It is also estimated that a further 27 million could be saved through joined up working arrangements.
	The estimates are very tentative and the actual figures will depend on how the proposals are implemented. The actual savings achieved will be available for reallocation to front line services in Northern Ireland.

Secondary Teachers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many secondary school teachers in Northern Ireland have (a) a first class degree, (b) a 2:1 degree, (c) a 2:2 degree, (d) a third class degree and (e) no degree.

Angela Smith: The number of current teachers in secondary schools in Northern Ireland who have (a) a first class degree, (b) a 2:1 degree, (c) a 2:2 degree, (d) a third class degree and (e) no degree are as follows:
	
		Table 1: Teachers currently employed in secondary schools
		
			  School type 
			  Secondary Special Total 
		
		
			 Higher degree 286 17 303 
			 First class degree 179 23 202 
			 2:1 degree 1,949 206 2,155 
			 2:2 degree 1,863 168 1,031 
			 Third class degree 160 8 168 
			 Pass degree 1,838 207 2,045 
			 No degree 1,174 245 1,419 
			 Total 7,449 874 8,323 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Contains full-time and pro-rata teachers.
	2. Pass degree column includes teachers' records with one of the following degree classifications: no classification, unknown classification and Pass degree classification.
	3. No degree column refers to teachers with no degree details recorded on Teachers' Pensions, Pay and Administration system or teachers whose only degree qualification held is unverified; these teachers hold other teaching qualifications.
	4. These figures have been compiled from the teachers paid in relevant schools in November 2005.
	
		Table 2: Current temporary/substitute teachers
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Higher degree 380 
			 First class degree 320 
			 2:1 degree 2,945 
			 2:2 degree 2,973 
			 Third class degree 268 
			 Pass degree 2,835 
			 No degree 6,534 
			 Total 16,255 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Contains ALL temporary and part-time hourly paid teachers.
	2. Pass degree column includes teachers' records with one of the following degree classifications: no classification, unknown classification and Pass degree classification.
	3. No degree column refers to teachers with no degree details recorded on Teachers' Pensions, Pay and Administration system or teachers whose only degree qualification held is unverified; these teachers hold other teaching qualifications.
	4. These figures have been compiled from ALL substitute/temporary teachers currently held on the system.

Tyrone County Hospital

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the (a) correspondence, (b) meetings and (c) discussions he has had with those (i) against and (ii) in favour of his plans for acute services and accident and emergency at the Tyrone County Hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: In recent months there have been a large number of meetings with local communities and their representatives in relation to the future provision of acute services in the Sperrin Lakeland area. These meetings are ongoing.
	On 11 October I issues for consultation the paper Making Services Safer in Sperrin Lakeland Trust. The consultation period lasted for six weeks, ending on 25 November.
	A significant volume of written comment has been received in response to the proposals set out in the consultation document. This also must be set in the context of three years of consultation about services across Northern Ireland and including Sperrin Lakeland. My officials are now collating and analysing those recent comments for consideration and the Department will publish a summary of the responses received in the near future.

Ulster Scots and Gaelic

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to reconstitute the membership of the Ulster Scots Agency Board.

Peter Hain: The provisions for making appointments to the Boards of the North South Implementation Bodies are made in the North/South Co-operation (Implementation Bodies) (Northern Ireland) Order 1999. The British and Irish Governments have decided to extend the periods of appointment of all current Board members by a further year until 12 December 2006, but on the understanding that, since both Governments are committed to an early restoration of devolution and the institutions, the terms of office may be subject to review in the event of political progress.

Vehicle Licence Detection Units

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vehicle owners were prosecuted as a result of mobile vehicle licence detection units in Northern Ireland in each year since 2000.

Angela Smith: Units to wheel-clamp unlicensed vehicles were introduced in Northern Ireland in 1998 and camera detection units in 2001. Output from the wheel-clamping units is measured in the number of vehicles clamped not prosecutions. Separate recording of prosecutions arising from enforcement action by camera units did not begin until 200304. For vehicle excise duty offences it is the normal policy to offer out of court settlements rather than proceed direct to court. Resulting from camera detections, in 200304 1,695 people paid out of court (OCS) settlements and 217 were prosecuted in court. In 200405, 1,830 paid OCSs and 306 were prosecuted in court.

Royal Household

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2005, Official Report, column 1058W, on state prayers, what constitutes the Royal Household for the purposes of her reply; to which (a) members of HM the Queen's family and (b) officials it extends; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: For the purposes of the reply quoted, The Royal Household is taken to include those employed by members of the Royal Family who are authorised to act on behalf of the member of the Royal Family in fulfilling his or her public and official roles. When the term Royal Family is used in an official context it refers to The Queen and those members of Her Majesty's family who regularly undertake official duties and functions on Her Majesty's behalf.

Adviser Discretionary Fund

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the average payment was from the Adviser Discretionary Fund in each year since July 2001; and how many people received payments from the fund in each year;
	(2)  what maximum amount can be claimed under the Adviser Discretionary Fund in any 12-month period; when this was last revised; and how he notifies the House of such changes;
	(3)  how much his Department spent on the Adviser Discretionary Fund in each year since July 2001; and how much his Department has budgeted to spend on it in (a) 200506, (b) 200607 and (c) 200708.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to my hon. Friend.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 12 December 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking what the average payment was from the Adviser Discretion Fund (ADF) in each year since July 2001, how many people received payments from the fund, what maximum amount can be claimed from the fund in any 12 month period, when this was last reviewed, how the House is notified of such changes, how much the Department spent on ADF in each year since July 2001, and how much the Department has budgeted to spend on it in the current year and 200607 and 200708. These areas fall within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Information relating to the total spend, the average value of a payment and the number of awards made for each year since ADF was introduced in July 2001 is contained in the table below. The number of individuals that have received an award of ADF is not available because a customer may access the ADF more than once if necessary.
	
		
			 
			  Total spend Average payment Number of awards 
		
		
			 200102 5,687,775 60 104,388 
			 200203 16,285,006 76 138,370 
			 200304 33,621,757 97 345,189 
			 200405 40,543,285 99 409,389 
		
	
	28,044,000 has been allocated for the ADF in this financial year. Jobcentre Plus has not yet agreed final ADF allocations for the 200607 and 200708 financial years.
	On 9 May 2005 the procedures governing the administration of the ADF changed. The maximum amount that can be paid to a customer through ADF in any 12 month period without a business case to support the payment was reduced from 300 to 100. As this relates to a change of operational procedures and not a change in the nature of the ADF, it was not considered necessary to notify the House.
	I hope this is helpful.

Agency Staff

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many full-time equivalent staff were employed by (a) the Employment Service, (b) the Benefits Agency and (c) Jobcentre Plus in each of the last five years; and what the projected staff levels are in each organisation for the next three years.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 12 December 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions concerning how many full time equivalent staff were employed by a) the Employment Service b) the Benefits Agency and c) Jobcentre plus in each of the last five years, and the projected staff levels in Jobcentre Plus for the next three years. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The tables below show full time equivalent staff for each organisation for the last five financial years.
	
		
			 Year ending 31 March Employment Service Benefits Agency 
		
		
			 2001 34,110 70,510 
			 2002 34,040 68,081 
		
	
	In 2002, following the formation of the Department for Work and Pensions, the Benefits Agency and Employment Service ceased to exist. As work from the Benefits Agency was divided between the Pensions Service and Jobcentre Plus, a direct comparison of total staffing before and after this change cannot be made.
	
		
			 Year ending 31 March Jobcentre Plus 
		
		
			 2003 78,512 
			 2004 79,044 
			 2005 73,900 
		
	
	The projected staffing levels for Jobcentre Plus the next three years are:
	
		
			  Projected staffing levels 
		
		
			 31 March 2006 71,008 
			 31 March 2007 68,350 
			 31 March 2008 66,461 
		
	
	I hope this is helpful.

Customer Management Systems

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the areas where the customer management system is in use; and when he expects the system to be rolled out to all areas.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 12 December 2005
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to reply to your question concerning the deployment of the Customer Management System (CMS) in the Jobcentre Plus network. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The following list shows the areas where CMS is in full or partial use. CMS is being implemented in tandem with the wider rollout of the Jobcentre Plus service and I expect this to be substantially completed by Summer 2006.
	
		
			 Region/District Fully rolled out- partial rollout 
		
		
			 East Midlands  
			 Derbyshire Full 
			 Leicestershire Full 
			 Lincolnshire and Rutland Partial 
			 Northamptonshire Full 
			 Nottinghamshire Partial 
			   
			 East of England  
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Partial 
			 Cambridgeshire Partial 
			 Norfolk Partial 
			 Essex Partial 
			 Suffolk Full 
			   
			 London  
			 Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon Partial 
			 Central London Partial 
			 City and East London Partial 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth Partial 
			 North London Partial 
			 South East London Partial 
			 South London Partial 
			 North East London Partial 
			 West London Full 
			   
			 North East  
			 City of Sunderland Partial 
			 Durham Partial 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside Full 
			 Northumbria Full 
			 Tees Valley Full 
			   
			 North West  
			 Cheshire and Warrington Partial 
			 Cumbria Full 
			 Lancashire East Partial 
			 Greater Manchester Central Partial 
			 Greater Manchester East Partial 
			 Greater Manchester West Partial 
			 Greater Mersey Full 
			 Lancashire West Partial 
			 Liverpool and Wirral Full 
			   
			 Scotland  
			 ADGI Partial 
			 Edinburgh, Lothians and Borders Partial 
			 Forth Valley and Fife Partial 
			 Glasgow Partial 
			 HICC Partial 
			 Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire Partial 
			 South East  
			 Bucks and Oxon and Berkshire Partial 
			 Hampshire Partial 
			 Kent Partial 
			 Surrey and Sussex Partial 
			   
			 South West  
			 Devon and Cornwall Full 
			 Dorset and Somerset Full 
			 Gloucester, Wiltshire and Swindon Partial 
			 West of England Partial 
			   
			 Wales  
			 Bridgend Full 
			 Cardiff and Vale Full 
			 Eastern Valleys Partial 
			 N.W. Wales Partial 
			 S.E. Wales Full 
			 Swansea Bay Partial 
			 West Wales Partial 
			 Wrexham and N.W. Coast Partial 
			   
			 West Midlands  
			 Birmingham and Solihull Partial 
			 Black Country Partial 
			 Coventry and Warwickshire Partial 
			 Staffordshire Partial 
			 The Marches Partial 
			   
			 Yorkshire and Humberside  
			 Barnsley Doncaster and Rotherham Partial 
			 Bradford Partial 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees Partial 
			 East Yorkshire and Humber Partial 
			 Leeds Partial 
			 North Yorkshire Partial 
			 Sheffield Full 
			 Wakefield Partial 
		
	
	I hope this is helpful.

Debt Advisers

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many debt advisers are working in (a) West Yorkshire, (b) Wakefield district and (c) Normanton constituency; and whether staffing levels are planned to increase over the Christmas period.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to my hon. Friend.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 12 December 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning how many debt advisers are working in (a) West Yorkshire (b) Wakefield district and (c) Normanton constituency and whether staffing levels are planned to increase over the Christmas period. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	No debt advice is given by Jobcentre Plus staff in any Jobcentre including West Yorkshire. In addition to dealing with general benefit entitlement and providing help to customers to move into work, staff handle Crisis Loan and Budgeting Loan applications but do not offer or give debt advice.
	Staff resources over the Christmas period has been finalised, with staffing levels set in order to deal with anticipated numbers of benefit claims and predicted Crisis Loan applications.
	I hope this is helpful.

Housing Benefit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will meet representatives of the Foyer Federation to discuss the impact of housing benefit regulations on the ability of young people in housing need to achieve qualifications below degree level;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the merits of ending the restriction on the number of hours a week a housing benefit recipient can study if they are retaking GCSEs, studying for A-Levels or for an NVQ at level 3 or below;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effects of the 16 hour housing benefit rule on the number of young people over the age of 19 who are able to take up education and training opportunities without losing their homes; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  if he will amend the 16 hour rule for housing benefit for young people between the ages of 19 and 21 years.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 1 December 2005
	Work to review the interaction between study rules and benefits is on-going.
	Ministerial colleagues have already met and discussed through correspondence a wide range of issues relating to the rules on study and housing benefit with representatives from the Foyer Federation.
	Individuals receiving housing benefit can currently study for qualifications below degree level, as long as it is for less than 16 guided learning hours a week. This is not always a significant barrier as many full-time Learning and Skills Council courses are just over 12 guided learning hours a week.
	It is a matter of record that the policy of both this and previous Governments has been to exclude most, but not all, full-time students from entitlement to housing benefit; since 1990 financial support for those students opting to study full time has been seen as the responsibility of the education system, rather than the benefit system.
	One of the outcomes of the recent Social Exclusion Report Review of Financial Support, Supporting Young People to Achieve is that from April 2006, if someone is in non-advanced education when they turn 19 they can continue to receive certain benefits, including income support, and therefore housing benefit, and education maintenance allowance until they have completed their current course of study or reach age 20.
	This is clearly an improvement on the previous situation, but it is likely that there will still be some young people who have had to abandon their attempts to catch up on learning because they reach 20 before they have finished their course. Because of this, the Government are committed to keeping this new age limit under review.
	Additionally, we recognise that for some a different approach may be needed. Consequently, from next September as part of the New Deal for Skills we will be piloting in some Jobcentre Plus districts the effect of allowing low skilled jobseekers to take up full-time further education courses as a route into work when a lack of skills is considered to be a significant barrier.

Incapacity Benefit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many existing incapacity benefit claimants who voluntarily entered the Pathways to Work pilots had been claiming benefit for (a) one month, (b) two to three months, (c) three to six months, (d) six to 12 months, (e) 12 to 24 months and (f) 24 months and over prior to entering the pilot; and what proportion found work.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 7 November 2005
	The available information is in the tables.
	
		Incapacity benefit claimants who have volunteered to enter Pathways to WorkTotal
		
			 Length of claim prior to entering pilot Pathways starts Job entries Job entry proportion (percentage) 
		
		
			 Less than three months 910 230 26 
			 Three to six months 650 310 47 
			 Six to 12 months 1,850 650 35 
			 12 to 24 months 2,720 1,030 38 
			 More than 24 months 6,400 2,190 34 
		
	
	
		Incapacity benefit claimants who have volunteered to enter Pathways to Workattended Work Focused Interviews (WFIs)
		
			 Length of claim prior to entering pilot WFIs attended Job entries Job entry proportion (percentage) 
		
		
			 Less than three months 760 170 22 
			 Three to six months 270 130 47 
			 Six to 12 months 750 290 38 
			 12 to 24 months 1,110 420 38 
			 More than 24 months 2,440 910 37 
		
	
	
		Incapacity benefit claimants who have volunteered to enter Pathways to Workattended Work Focused Interviews (WFIs) and Choices starts
		
			 Length of claim prior to entering pilot WFIs and Choices starts Job entries Job entry proportion (percentage) 
		
		
			 Less than three months 130 70 55 
			 Three to six months 80 50 63 
			 Six to 12 months 220 130 58 
			 12 to 24 months 350 160 47 
			 More than 24 months 760 370 48 
		
	
	
		New incapacity benefit claimants eligible for mandatory entry in to Pathways to Work
		
			  Total Job entries Job entry proportion (percentage) 
		
		
			 Total Pathways Starts 135,460 15,190 11 
			 Work Focus Interviews  Attended 44,460 6,990 16 
			 Work Focus Interviews  Attended and Choices start 9,920 3,500 35 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Data is to the end of August 2005.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	3. Incapacity benefit durations of one month cannot be identified separately.
	Source:
	Pathways to Work Evaluation Database

Integrated Benefits

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the failed call rate has been for Jobcentre Plus areas operating integrated benefit system pilots;
	(2)  what is the average duration of telephone benefit applications in integrated benefit system pilot areas.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 12 December 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions concerning failed call rates and durations of calls for new claims to working age benefits. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	It may be helpful if I explain that, to make a claim in an area operating the new Jobcentre Plus model, the customer calls a contact centre. Contact centre staff ask the customer a series of questions to assess their potential eligibility to Jobcentre Plus benefits. They then arrange to call the customer back to complete the claim form, which is sent to the customer to check and sign. They will also arrange a work focused interview at the customer's local Jobcentre Plus office where this is appropriate.
	Our aim is to answer 90% of calls made to the contact centre. The most recent information we have is for week ending 4 November 2005 when we answered 81.5% of calls.
	With regard to the duration of telephone benefit applications, we do not hold information on the average length of telephone calls to gather all the information necessary to complete a claim form. However we do have the average length of the initial call made by the customer. The most recent information shows that this is taking an average of 12 minutes.
	I hope this is helpful.

Jobcentre Plus

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what consultations have been undertaken to assess (a) the impact of Jobcentre Plus's Response to Displayed Vacancies system on (i) employment figures and (ii) local communities and (b) the effectiveness of the system;
	(2)  what analysis has been undertaken to assess the cost of implementing Jobcentre Plus's Response to Displayed Vacancies system.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 12 December 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions concerning Jobcentre Plus' Response to Displayed Vacancies (RDV) system. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Prior to the creation of Jobcentre Plus, the Employment Service embarked on its Modernising Employment Service (MES) programme. Part of this programme was to change RDV (card vacancies) to touch screen kiosks or Jobpoints, whilst ensuring that the needs and expectations of individual customers were met. As RDV was the preceding system, I have taken your question to be referring to Jobpoints.
	A wide variety of research has been carried out to assess the impact of these changes, and the use of Jobpoints, on local communities and the effectiveness of Jobcentre Plus systems. This includes:
	a Jobseeker Direct Customer Satisfaction Survey;
	a quantitative telephone survey of over 3,000 Jobcentre Plus customers;
	Greater London Enterprise carried out three sweeps of the Qualitative Employer Survey and the Customer Service Centre Case Studies;
	an Econometric/Statistical Analysis of the impact of MES;
	Jobcentre Case Study research and analysis of the Jobseeker Surveys;
	a follow-up national telephone survey of 3,411 Jobcentre Plus customers to provide representative data on customers' experience of, views on, and satisfaction with, Jobcentre Plus services; and
	a Jobcentre Plus National Customer Satisfaction Survey.
	Furthermore, an independent evaluation of customers' reactions to these changes, carried out in January 2003, showed that between 31% and 48% of jobseekers reported an increase in the numbers and types of vacancies they looked at, the number of applications made, and their confidence in getting a job.
	An analysis of the costs to Jobcentre Plus of introducing Jobpoints was included in the overall MES evaluation in 2003. When set alongside reduced resources for operational delivery during MES implementation, this supported the conclusion that MES enabled improved efficiency, accuracy, flexibility and responsiveness of work processes.
	I hope this is helpful.

Jobcentre Plus

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken is for (a) callback and (b) interview under the Customer Management System for customers who contact Jobcentre Plus through the medium of (i) Welsh and (ii) English; and what the average time taken was in each of the last three months.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 2 December 2005
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 12 December 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning the average delay for callback and interview under the Customer Management System for customers who contact Jobcentre Plus through the medium of Welsh and English; and what the average delays were in each of the last three months. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Our aim is to call customers back within 24 hours of the inbound call. The current average waiting time for a call back in November across all contact centres is 1.9 days. In the week ending 25 November the average waiting time for a call back is 1.6 days. This is a significant improvement on the average of 4.9 days in September and 3.3 days in October.
	We do not collect information on average call back times specifically for customers speaking the Welsh language. These call backs are made by our Bridgend contact centre, along with those to English language speakers. Currently the average call back time in Bridgend is one day, in September this figure was 3.8 days and in October it was 4.5 days.
	We have an internal standard to complete work-focused interviews within 4 days of initial contact with the customer. Twelve of our centres captured data from 273 Local Service Outlets over a sample period from 16th September 2005 to 25th November 2005 on the waiting times for these interviews. This information is in the table.
	
		
			 Week ending Average waiting time in days 
		
		
			 2005  
			 16 September 7.2 
			 23 September 7.7 
			 30 September 8.0 
			 07 October 7.8 
			 14 October 8.5 
			 21 October 8.0 
			 28 October 7.6 
		
	
	I hope this is helpful.

Jobcentre Plus

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in which areas Jobcentre Plus offices have replaced Benefit Agency offices; and when he expects the remaining Benefit Agency offices to be replaced by Jobcentre Plus offices.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 12 December 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning which areas Jobcentre Plus offices have replaced Benefit Agency offices and when he expects the remaining Benefit Agency offices to be replaced by Jobcentre Plus offices. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Since the inception of Jobcentre Plus in 2002 we have been refurbishing and replacing the offices of the former Benefits Agency and Employment Service, on a rolling programme, to enable us to deliver the new, integrated Jobcentre Plus service. We are now in the final phase of rollout and every Jobcentre Plus district has live Jobcentre Plus offices and some districts are already completely rolled out. The following table lists all Jobcentre Plus districts, and where they are in the rollout programme.
	
		
			 Region and district Fully rolled out/partial rollout 
		
		
			 East Midlands  
			 Derbyshire Full 
			 Leicestershire Full 
			 Lincolnshire and Rutland Partial 
			 Northamptonshire Full 
			 Nottinghamshire Partial 
			   
			 East of England  
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Partial 
			 Cambridgeshire Partial 
			 Norfolk Partial 
			 Essex Partial 
			 Suffolk Full 
			   
			 London  
			 Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon Partial 
			 Central London Partial 
			 City and East London Partial 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth Partial 
			 North London Partial 
			 South East London Partial 
			 South London Partial 
			 North East London Partial 
			 West London Full 
			   
			 North East  
			 City of Sunderland Partial 
			 Durham Partial 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside Full 
			 Northumbria Full 
			 Tees Valley Full 
			   
			 North West  
			 Cheshire and Warrington Partial 
			 Cumbria Full 
			 Lancashire East Partial 
			 Greater Manchester Central Partial 
			 Greater Manchester East Partial 
			 Greater Manchester West Partial 
			 Greater Mersey Full 
			 Lancashire West Partial 
			 Liverpool and Wirral Full 
			   
			 Scotland  
			 ADGI Partial 
			 Edinburgh, Lothians and Borders Partial 
			 Forth Valley and Fife Partial 
			 Glasgow Partial 
			 HICC Partial 
			 Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire Partial 
			   
			 South East  
			 Bucks and Oxon and Berkshire Partial 
			 Hampshire Partial 
			 Kent Partial 
			 Surrey and Sussex Partial 
			   
			 South West  
			 Devon and Cornwall Full 
			 Dorset and Somerset Full 
			 Gloucester, Wiltshire and Swindon Partial 
			 West of England Partial 
			   
			 Wales  
			 Bridgend Full 
			 Cardiff and Vale Full 
			 Eastern Valleys Partial 
			 North West Wales Partial 
			 South East Wales Full 
			 Swansea Bay Partial 
			 West Wales Partial 
			 Wrexham and North West Coast Partial 
			   
			 West Midlands  
			 Birmingham and Solihull Partial 
			 Black Country Partial 
			 Coventry and Warwickshire Partial 
			 Staffordshire Partial 
			 The Marches Partial 
			   
			 Yorkshire and Humberside  
			 Barnsley Doncaster and Rotherham Partial 
			 Bradford Partial 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees Partial 
			 East Yorks and Humber Partial 
			 Leeds Partial 
			 North Yorkshire Partial 
			 Sheffield Full 
			 Wakefield Partial 
		
	
	By summer 2006 the rollout programme will be substantially complete and all of our customers will have access to an integrated jobs and benefit service.
	I hope this is helpful.

Jobcentre Plus

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many calls have been made by claimants from 'warm phones' within Jobcentre Plus offices to Jobcentre Plus call centres in each month since 2003; how many of these calls (a) were handled by an adviser and (b) received an engaged tone; and what the average wait was to speak to a call centre adviser in each month.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 12 December 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning how many calls have been made by claimants from 'warm phones' within Jobcentre Plus offices to Jobcentre Plus call centres in each month since 2003; how many were (a) handled by an adviser and (b) received an engaged tone, and what the average wait was to speak to a call centre adviser in each month. This is something, which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
	We do not hold centrally the information required to answer your question on calls from Jobcentre Plus 'warm phones' and this could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Jobcentre Plus

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total processing times are for new (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) income support claims in (i) JobCentre Plus areas and (ii) areas where JobCentre Plus is not yet rolled out.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 6 December 2005
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 12 December 2005
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to reply to your question concerning the total processing times for (a) Jobseeker's Allowance and (b) Income Support claims in (i) Jobcentre Plus areas and (ii) areas where Jobcentre Plus is not yet rolled out. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The Department is currently rolling out its integrated Jobcentre Plus offices with 680 sites currently completed. At the same time, we are rationalising and centralising the sites where benefit processing is carried out.
	The information is not available in the format requested because processing centres keep statistics about the number of claims that are cleared and how long it took. The statistics show where the claim was processed, not where it originated so processing centres have no means to differentiate between claims that have been made via the new integrated Jobcentre Plus offices and the existing Jobcentres.

Pension Credit

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claiming pension credit have (a) enrolled with Jobcentre Plus services, (b) joined welfare-to work programmes and (c) moved into work with Jobcentre Plus support in (i) the UK, (ii) England, (iii) Wales and (iv) Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 12 December 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question regarding how many people claiming pension credit have enrolled with Jobcentre Plus services, joined welfare-to work programmes and moved into work with Jobcentre Plus support in the UK, England, Wales and Scotland and if he will make a statement. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Unfortunately, I am not able to provide the information you have requested. We are, however, working to identify Pension Credit recipients as a separate customer group in the future.

Pensions

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the total costs in 200405 of (a) basic state pension, (b) second state pension and (c) other benefits paid to UK pensioners in other countries of the European Union.

Stephen Timms: The available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			   per week 
			 Benefit Total benefit 
		
		
			 Basic state pension 12,042,200 
			 Additional state pension 77,700 
		
	
	
		
			   per year 
			 Benefit Total benefit 
		
		
			 Winter fuel payments 4,535,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The figures are based on data from the 5 per cent. samples, but they have been adjusted to make their totals consistent with the WPLS data. These figures are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	2. The data are taken from an extract of PSCS as at 31 March 2005.
	3. In certain cases, caseload figures for certain countries are nil or negligible, hence the expenditure has also been suppressed.
	4. Certain caseloads produced from the 5 per cent. sample data are under 500 and are subject to a high degree of sampling error, hence the associated expenditure values should only be used as a guide to the current situation.
	5. The winter fuel payment estimate includes Gibraltar, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
	6. State pension information is recorded on a weekly basis.
	7. Total weekly benefit figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred pounds.
	Sources:
	State PensionDWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) 100 per cent. data and 5 per cent. samples.
	Winter Fuel PaymentsDWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. data

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of women aged between (a) 40 and 44, (b) 45 and 49, (c) 50 and 54 and (d) 55 and 59 years would receive less than a full basic state pension if from 200607 until their retirement it was assumed they made full national insurance contributions.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		United Kingdom
		
			   Age in 200607 Number of women with less than a full BSP at SPA, based on own contribution record  Proportion (percentage) 
		
		
			 40 to 44 355,000 16 
			 45 to 49 333,000 17 
			 50 to 54 670,000 36 
			 55 to 59 1,304,000 66 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Estimates are based on the Lifetime Labour Market Database 2, 200304. This is a 1 per cent. sample of the national insurance records.
	2. It has been assumed that individuals accrue entitlement to basic state pension between 200304 and 200607 at the same rate at which they have accrued basic state pension over their working life to date.
	3. Every year between 200607 and state pension age is treated as a qualifying year for basic state pension.
	4. Women who have interacted with the national insurance recording system at some point during their working lives, but who are not estimated to be resident in the UK in 200304, are excluded.
	5. It is assumed that all women who appear on the Lifetime Labour Market Database 2 in 200304 and who are estimated to be resident in the UK, survive until state pension age, and that there is no migration.
	6. Figures are given as a proportion of the total number of women in each age group estimated by the Government Actuary's Department to be resident in the UK in 2004.
	7. Entitlement to basic state pension is based on women's own national insurance records. Entitlement that may be derived from husband's records is not available.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost of paying a full basic state pension, regardless of contributions, to all pensioners aged 75 years or over in (a) 200506, (b) 2010, (c) 2020, (d) 2030, (e) 2040 and (f) 2050.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		Great Britain ( billion, 200506 price terms)
		
			  Gross cost Net of IRBs Net of IRBs and tax 
		
		
			 2006 2.0 1.4 1.4 
			 2010 2.2 1.6 1.5 
			 2020 2.7 1.9 1.9 
			 2030 2.2 1.6 1.6 
			 2040 2.1 1.5 1.5 
			 2050 2.3 1.7 1.6 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The policy change is assumed to take place from 200607.
	2. Gross costs are estimated by the Government Actuary's Department and are consistent with the pre-Budget report 2005 assumptions.
	3. Savings in income-related benefit (IRBs) such as pension credit and housing benefit, and potential increases in tax revenue, are estimated using the DWP policy simulation model and April 2006 benefit rates. Savings are assumed to be a constant proportion of the estimated gross cost over time.
	4. It is assumed that the rate of basic state pension is uprated in line with prices growth (plus underpin) from year to year.

Pensions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of men in the UK who will reach the age of 65 years in (a) 2006, (b) 2017 and (c) 2027 will have national insurance contributions of (i) 44 years or more, (ii) 41 to 43 years, (iii) 36 to 40 years, (iv) 31 to 35 years, (v) 26 to 30 years, (vi) 21 to 25 years, (vii) 16 to 20 years, (viii) 11 to 15 years, (ix) 6 to 10 years, (x) 1 to 5 years and (xi) 0 years.

Stephen Timms: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information that is available is in the following table:
	
		National insurance contribution years for men reaching state pension age in the 200405 tax yearUnited Kingdom
		
			  Men 
			 Years Number Percentage 
		
		
			 0 (39) (39) 
			 1 to 5 (40)1,000 (39) 
			 6 to 10 (40)1,000 (39) 
			 11 to 15 (40)1,000 (39) 
			 16 to 20 (40)2,000 (39) 
			 21 to 25 5,000 2 
			 26 to 30 5,000 2 
			 31 to35 10,000 4 
			 36 to 40 14,000 5 
			 41 to 43 15,000 5 
			 44 or more 228,000 81 
			 Total 282,000  
		
	
	(39) Nil or negligible.
	(40) High degree of sampling error.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are shown to the nearest thousand and may not add up due to rounding.
	2. Figures exclude people who have interacted with the National Insurance Recording System at some point during their working lives but who are not estimated to be resident in the UK in 200304.
	3. Figures are based on the Lifetime Labour Market Database 2, which is a 1 per cent. sample of the national insurance records. It is not possible to use this historical information to predict numbers of qualifying years for basic state pension with sufficient accuracy to answer this question for future years as requested. The model used by the Government Actuary's Department to forecast entitlement to basic state pension is based on aggregate level data, that does not permit accurate distributional analysis in the manner requested.
	4. Figures refer to the number of qualifying years accrued by men at state pension age in the 200405 tax year. For the purpose of this table a year of Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) is treated as a qualifying year. (Although strictly HRP acts to reduce the requisite number of qualifying years needed for a full basic state pension (BSP), therefore men and women will not always require 44 and 39 qualifying years respectively).
	5. For the reason noted in 2, and others, this table should not be used to infer entitlement to BSP. For example:
	The first and second contribution conditions must be satisfied to qualify for BSP. The first contribution condition is satisfied through paid contributions from earnings or by paying voluntary Class 3 contributions during one tax year (either must be equivalent to 52 weeks at the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL)). Having satisfied this first contribution condition, a person must acquire a further 9 (for women) or 10 (for men) qualifying years through a combination of contributions and Nl credits. This second contribution condition is also known as the 25 per cent. de minimis rule.
	The table does not represent any entitlement to BSP that may be derived from a partner's contribution record.

Pensions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of women in the UK who will reach the age of (a) 60 in (i) 2006 and (ii) 2017 and (b) 65 in 2027 respectively will have national insurance contributions of (A) 44 years or more, (B) 41 to 43 years, (C) 36 to 40 years, (D) 31 to 35 years, (E) 26 to 30 years, (F) 21 to 25 years, (G) 16 to 20 years, (H) 11 to 15 years, (I) 6 to 10 years, (J) 1 to 5 years and (K) 0 years.

Stephen Timms: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information that is available is in the following table:
	
		National insurance contribution years for women reaching state pension age in the 200405 tax yearUnited Kingdom
		
			  Women 
			  Number Percentage 
		
		
			 0 years (41)1,000  
			 15 years 6,000 2 
			 610-years 16,000 5 
			 1115 years 30,000 9 
			 1620 years 34,000 11 
			 2125 years 43,000 13 
			 2630 years 56,000 17 
			 3135 years 64,000 20 
			 3640 years 42,000 13 
			 41 to 43 years 16,000 5 
			 44 or more years 14,000 4 
			 Total 321,000  
		
	
	'' nil or negligible
	(41) High degree of sampling error
	Notes:
	1. Figures are shown to the nearest thousand and may not add up due to rounding.
	2. Figures exclude people who have interacted with the National Insurance Recording System at some point during their working lives, but who are not estimated to be resident in the UK in 200304.
	3. Figures are based on the Lifetime Labour Market Database 2, which is a 1 per cent. sample of the national insurance records. It is not possible to use this historical information to predict numbers of qualifying years for basic state pension with sufficient accuracy to answer this question for future years as requested. The model used by the Government Actuary's Department to forecast entitlement to basic state pension is based on aggregate level data, that does not permit accurate distributional analysis in the manner requested.
	4. Figures refer to the number of qualifying years accrued by women at State pension age in the 200405 tax year. For the purpose of this table a year of Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) is treated as a qualifying year. (Although strictly HRP acts to reduce the requisite number of qualifying years needed for a full basic state pension (BSP), therefore men and women will not always require 44 and 39 qualifying years respectively).
	5. For the reason noted in 2, and others, this table should not be used to infer entitlement to BSP. For example:
	The first and second contribution conditions must be satisfied to qualify for BSP. The first contribution condition is satisfied through paid contributions from earnings or by paying voluntary class 3 contributions during one tax year (either must be equivalent to 52 weeks at the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL)). Having satisfied this first contribution condition, a person must acquire a further nine (for women) or 10 (for men) qualifying years through a combination of contributions and NI credits. This second contribution condition is also known as the 25 per cent. de minimis rule.
	The table does not represent any entitlement to BSP that may be derived from a partner's contribution record.

Unemployment

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of economically inactive (a) men and (b) women are (i) aged 18 to 34, (ii) aged 35 to50 and (iii) aged 51 to 64 years; and how many of each sex in each age range have expressed an interest in working.

Margaret Hodge: The information requested is in the tables.
	
		United Kingdom working age inactivity ratessummer 2005
		
			  Working age inactive people Proportion of all working age inactive people 
			 Age Male Female Male Female 
		
		
			 1834 763,583 1,723,943 25 37 
			 3550 593,131 1,499,471 20 32 
			 5164 1,280,508 1,075,221 42 23 
			 All working age 3,029,582 4,657,563   
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are for the United Kingdom.
	Source:
	Labour Force Survey, ONS
	
		Number of inactive people who have declared an interest in working in United Kingdom
		
			  Male Female 
			 Age Seeking work, unavailable to start Percentage of working age inactive people Would like work, not seeking Percentage of working age inactive people Seeking work, unavailable to start Percentage of working age inactive people Would like work, not seeking Percentage of working age inactive people 
		
		
			 1834 41,808 5 189,956 25 68,864 4 431,438 25 
			 3550 22,842 4 224,237 38 40,080 3 398,055 27 
			 5164 9,121 1 250,207 20 8,347 1 173,699 16 
			 All 102,323 3 752,151 25 149,462 3 1,079,660 23 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are for the United Kingdom.
	Source:
	Labour Force Survey, ONS

Work-based Learning

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been allocated to work-based learning for unemployed adults in (a) 200506, (b) 200607 and (c) 200708 at (i) Level 1, (ii) Level 2 and (iii) Level 3.

Margaret Hodge: The amount allocated for Work-Based Learning for Adults (WBLA) and Short Intensive Basic Skills for this year is set out as follows:
	
		WBLA/SIBS forecast expenditure 200506
		
			  National forecast 
		
		
			 WBLA 94,432,659 
			 SIBS 11,626,851 
			 Total 106,059,510 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Allocations for the 200607 and 200708 financial years are not yet available.
	2. Figures exclude allowance payments, associated admin costs and nationally funded expenditure.
	3. Allocations are not broken down by different levels of training.
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus Financial Strategy Division

Clubs

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) working men's clubs and (b) other private members' clubs there were in (i) Barnsley, East and Mexborough and (ii) South Yorkshire in (A) 1997 and (b) 2004.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 12 December 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning how many (a) working men's clubs and (b) other private members' clubs there were in (i) Barnsley East and Mexborough and (ii) South Yorkshire in (A) 1997 and (B) 2004. (35622)
	The number of working men's clubs and other private members' clubs recorded on the Inter Departmental Business Register (IDBR) in the specified areas are detailed in the table below. The figures include only such clubs that are registered for VAT.
	
		
			  Standard Industrial Classification 
			55401Licensed clubs 91330Activities of other membership organisations not elsewhere classified 
		
		
			 Barnsley East PC   
			 1997 10 10 
			 2004 20 20 
			
			 South Yorkshire county 
			 1997 130 330 
			 2004 145 320 
		
	
	Working men's clubs are included within licensed clubs. Private members' clubs are included within activities of other membership organisations not elsewhere classified. The classification system does not identify working men's clubs and other private members' clubs separately.
	These figures are based on the same criteria as used in NS publication UK Business: Activity. Size and Location and are consistent with that publication and can be found at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ukbusiness
	All figures have been rounded to the nearest five to avoid disclosure.

Departmental Expenditure

Alex Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) salary bill was and (b) administrative costs were for his Department in (i) each (A) nation and (B) region of the UK and (ii) London in 200405.

John Healey: Staff costs and administration costs for the Treasury in 200405 are shown in Schedule 2 on page 20 of the Department's resource accounts http://www.hm-treasurv.gov.uk/media/3A6/1E/resource_ accounts_20045.pdf.
	The resource accounts consolidate the costs of the core Treasury, the Debt Management Office and the Office of Government Commerce. All costs for the Treasury and the DMO arise in London. The staff costs of the OGC are analysed by country and region for the purposes of the annually published public expenditure statistical analysis, and the analysis for 200405 was as follows.
	
		
			000 
			  OGC Core Treasury and DMO Total 
		
		
			 Scotland 407  407 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 1,150  1,150 
			 Eastern 5,689  5,689 
			 London 11,160 60,730 71,890 
			 Total 18,406 60,730 79,136 
		
	
	As a small Department, the Treasury is not required to supply country and regional analyses of other administration costs. The accounting system is not designed to capture costs other than staff costs on a country and regional basis and therefore this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Staff

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff were employed by non-departmental public bodies and agencies for which he has responsibility in 200405 in (a) total and (b) each (i) nation and (ii) region of the UK and (c) London.

John Healey: Details on individual Departments' non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are set out in the annual Cabinet Office publication, Public Bodies. Copies of the 200405 publication are available in the Library and can be accessed via:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/the_future_of_the_civil_ service/agencies_and_public_bodies/public_bodies_directory/index.asp
	Information relating to staff employed in Departments and agencies, including by region, is set out in the annual Cabinet Office publication Civil Service Statistics, which is available in the Library of the House and can be accessed via:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/mangement_of_the_civil_ service/statistics/contents_for_civil_service_statistics_ 2004_report/list_of_tables_and_charts/index.asp
	The latest figures are as at 1 April 2004. It is expected that the data as at 1 April 2005 will be published early in the new year.

EU Legislation

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the proportion of the burden of administration on business that arises from EU legislation; by how much this burden has been reduced by the European Commission during the EU's presidency; and whether this reduction meets Government targets.

Jim Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government announced on 15 September this year that a cross-government project to identify, measure then cut the admin burden placed on businesses, charities and the voluntary sector by Government regulation, which includes European Union regulation, had begun.
	We have had an active dialogue with the European Commission during our presidency, and are already showing them the benefits of our approach. One third of the legislative proposals that the Commission screened for impacts on competitiveness were withdrawn in September 2005 and a month later, the Commission adopted a simplification programme involving over 1,400 legal instruments.
	In addition my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced on the day of the CBI conference on Tuesday 29 November that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Department of Trade and Industry and the Health and Safety Executive are publishing initial draft simplification plans. The results of the measurement exercise, targets and further initial plans for reductions will be published as part of the Budget next year.

Tax Allowances

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the tax allowances that have been introduced since 1997; by what percentage each such allowance has changed since its introduction; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The main rates and allowances are set out each year in the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report and Financial Statement and Budget Report. Copies of this are available in the House Library. More detailed information on individual tax allowances and reliefs with an estimate annual cost of at least 50 million can be found in the HM Treasury publication, Tax ready reckoner and tax reliefs. Recent versions can be found on the HM Treasury website and historic copies are held in the House Library.
	Information on minor tax expenditures and structural reliefs where the costs are less than 50 million is published on the HMRC website. Historic versions are published in Inland Revenue Statistics.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff at the Tax Credits Office have received bonus payments in each month from January 2003 to October 2005; what the total amount of bonuses paid has been; what has been the largest single payment; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The (former) Inland Revenue introduced a Team Bonus scheme from 1 April 2003. Team Bonus payments were paid annually to directorates of the Inland Revenue which had contributed exceptionally towards achievement of the Department's PSA targets.
	The Tax Credit Office (TCO) qualified for team bonuses in 200304 and 200405. The maximum amount each individual in the TCO could receive was set centrally for the inland Revenue, according to grade.
	In 200304 all relevant targets were met and people received the maximum available bonus.
	For 200405 the targets and achievement were:
	
		Percentage
		
			  Percentage of maximum bonus payment available for achievement of target Target to qualify for team bonus Associated PSA Key Target TCO Performance against Bonus Target 
		
		
			 Decide 97 per cent. of claims, change of circumstances and renewals within 30 working days of receipt excluding ceased household cases 60 97 95 95.9 
			 Deliver quality casework of which 90 per cent. is fully satisfactory or better than standard 20 90 90 97 
			 Decide 94 per cent. of claims, changes of circumstances and renewals accurately 20 94% 90 96.5 
		
	
	As the first target was not met, bonus payments in 200405 were only 40 per cent. of the maximum available.
	The number and value of Team Bonus payments made to staff who had worked or were working in the Tax Credit Office (TCO), in 200304 and 200405 was around:
	
		
			  Number of individual staff in receipt of annual team bonus payment Value () Average payment () 
		
		
			 31 July 2004 3,850 938,542 243 
			 31 July 2005 3,755 425,229 113 
		
	
	The largest single annual payment made was 520, made in 2004.
	The Director of TCO has the discretion to award special bonuses to recognise exceptional performance and the dates and values of payments made are:
	
		
			   
			 Quarter ending Total value of directors bonuses awarded 
		
		
			 2003  
			 April 3.700 
			 November 5,650 
			   
			 2004  
			 February 2,925 
			 May 3,750 
			 August 6,500 
			 November 2,550 
			   
			 2005  
			 March 300 
			 May 4,340 
			 September 14,500 
		
	
	The total number of Director's Special Bonus awards for this period was 162, representing around 5 per cent. of staff working in the TCO. The average payment was around 300.
	The largest single payment made during this period was 1,000.

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the expected annual cost is of the measures announced by the Paymaster General for the reform of tax credits on 5 December.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is available in the Pre-Budget report 2005, Table 1.2, Estimated costs of pre-Budget report policy decisions and others announced since Budget 2005.

Taxation (EU Accession Workers)

Andrew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of how much workers from the EU accession countries paid in tax in the financial year 200405.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the amount of income tax, VAT and other taxes paid by workers from the EU accession countries is not available from HM Revenue and Customs' records except at a disproportionate cost.
	However, in November 2004 the Home Office initially estimated that, for the period May to September 2004, migrants from the accession countries under the Worker Registration Scheme made a fiscal contribution of 20 million in tax and national insurance contributions. The Home Office's research document is available on their website: http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/en/home_news/press_releases/new_figures_show_accession.

Unemployment Rate

Edward Miliband: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the unemployment rate in (a) Doncaster North and (b) each ward of the constituency was in each year for which figures are available.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 12 December 2005
	As National Statistician. I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment. (35678)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment from the Labour Force Survey following International Labour Organisation definitions. Table 1. attached, shows unemployment rates for persons aged 16 and over resident in the Doncaster North constituency. The table covers the 12 month periods ending in February each year from 1997 to 2004 and the 12 month period ending in March 2005.
	These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to sampling variability. Changes in the estimates from year to year should be treated with particular caution.
	Estimates of unemployment are not available for wards as the survey sample size for such areas is too small.
	However. ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (ISA). Table 2 shows statistics for the number of ISA claimants expressed as a percentage of the resident working age population for the Doncaster North constituency from 1996.
	Comparable percentages for constituency wards of Doncaster North are only available from February 2004. Table 3 shows these statistics for the months available to date.
	
		Table 1: Unemployment rates for persons aged 16 and over resident in the Doncaster North constituency Percentage
		
			 12 months ending Unemployment rate 
		
		
			 February  
			 1997 11.5 
			 1998 16.9 
			 1999 9.1 
			 2000 8.1 
			 2001 10.5 
			 2002 10.2 
			 2003 6.4 
			 2004 5.3 
			   
			 March  
			 2005 6.0 
		
	
	Source:
	Annual local area Labour Force Survey;
	Annual Population Survey.
	
		Table 2: Jobseeker's allowance claimants as a percentage of the resident working age population for Doncaster North parliamentary constituency Percentage
		
			  Annual average 
		
		
			 1996 8.4 
			 1997 6.6 
			 1998 5.7 
			 1998 4.8 
			 2000 4.0 
			 2001 3.5 
			 2002 3.1 
			 2003 2.8 
			 2004 2.7 
			 2005(45) 3.1 
		
	
	(45) Average for period January 2005 to October 2005.
	Note:
	Denominators are based on 2001 census data adjusted to be consistent with 2001 mid-year population estimates.
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus administrative systems.
	
		Jobseeker's allowance claimants as a percentage of the resident working age population in wards of the Doncaster North parliamentary constituency Percentage
		
			  Wards(46) 
			 Month Adwick Askern Bentley Central Bentley North Road Stainforth Thorne 
		
		
			 2004   
			 February 3.5 2.9 3.6 2.3 3.0 3.4 
			 March 3.2 2.6 3.7 2.4 3.0 3.2 
			 April 3.1 2.4 3.4 2.1 2.8 3.0 
			 May 2.9 2.2 3.2 2.0 2.5 2.6 
			 June 2.8 2.3 3.0 2.0 2.5 2.6 
			 July 2.7 2.0 3.4 2.0 2.3 2.4 
			 August 2.7 2.3 3.5 2.2 2.4 2.6 
			 September 2.8 2.2 3.5 2.2 2.4 2.5 
			 October 3.1 2.1 3.5 2.1 2.6 2.7 
			 November 2.8 2.4 3.6 2.4 2.3 2.7 
			 December 2.9 2.7 3.9 2.2 2.4 2.9 
			
			 2005   
			 January 3.2 2.9 4,2 2.6 2.5 3.3 
			 February 3.4 3.1 4.2 2.6 2.7 3.2 
			 March 3.4 3.2 4.0 2.2 2.8 3.0 
			 April 3.2 3.1 4.0 2.0 2.6 2.8 
			 May 3.1 2.8 4.2 2.1 2.6 2.6 
			 June 3.4 2.7 4.4 2.2 2.6 2.8 
			 July 3.4 2.5 4.5 2.5 2.6 2.8 
			 August 3.4 2.5 4.5 2.6 2.9 3.0 
			 September 3.6 2.6 4.3 2.8 2.9 3.0 
			 October 3.5 2.8 4.4 2.6 2.9 3.1 
		
	
	(46) The figures relate to census area statistics wards.
	Note:
	Denominators are mid-2001 census area statistics ward population estimates (experimental statistics).

Ambulance Service

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average response time to an emergency call to the Ambulance Service was in (a) England, (b) the Tees Valley and (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in 200405.

Liam Byrne: Average ambulance response times to emergency calls are not collected centrally. The data which the Department does collect on ambulance response times is published in the statistical bulletin, Ambulance services, England: 200405. This is available in the Library and on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/ll/36/79/04113679.pdf

Dacorum Primary Care Trust

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of (a) syphilis, (b) HIV, (c) lymphoedema and (d) tuberculosis have been diagnosed in the area covered by Dacorum Primary Care Trust in each month since January.

Rosie Winterton: The number of cases of lymphoedema and tuberculosis are not held centrally. Data for 2004 on diagnoses of syphilis made within Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) (and not by the patients' area of residence) is shown in table 1. The diagnoses of syphilis were made at genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics (and excludes primary care).
	
		Table 1: Number of diagnoses of primary and secondary syphilis by quarterBedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authority 2004
		
			 Quarter of diagnosis Number of diagnoses 
		
		
			 1 6 
			 2 7 
			 3 7 
			 4 8 
		
	
	Source:
	KC60 returns, Health Protection Agency.
	Data on diagnoses of HIV made within Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) (and not by the patients' area of residence) is shown in table 2. The diagnoses of HIV were made mostly in GUM clinics (but also primary care, inpatient wards, antenatal clinics). For confidentiality reasons, data on new sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV diagnoses are only routinely published at SHA level.
	
		Table 2: Number of HIV diagnoses by month of diagnosisBedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authority 2004
		
			 Month of diagnosis Number of diagnoses 
		
		
			 January 27 
			 February 15 
			 March 20 
			 April 17 
			 May 28 
			 June 24 
			 July 14 
			 August 9 
			 September 24 
			 October 37 
			 November 19 
			 December 13 
			 Total 247 
		
	
	Source:
	Health Protection Agency

Damages Payments

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the 10 largest amounts of damages paid out by her Department in the last year for which figures are available, indicating in each case the nature of the claim.

Liam Byrne: The Department has made no payments that can be constructed as damages during 200405.

Health (Public Involvement)

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to publish the results of her Department's strategic review of patient and public involvement in health.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 10 November 2005
	The Department's review of patient and public involvement (PPI) in health is part of the wider White Paper consultation, Your health, your care, your say. The results of the review are being fed into the development of the White Paper proposals. The results of the PPI review activities will be made available in the new year and will appear on the Department's website on the policy page for patient and public involvement. Hard copies of the results will also be available on request.

Health Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what process will be used to transfer the services provided by primary care trusts to alternative providers in West Lancashire.

Liam Byrne: In our proposals sent out on 28 July, we indicated that we were minded to require primary care trusts (PCTs) to reduce their service-provision functions by the end of 2008. Since that document, we have listened to stakeholders. The policy moving forward, in relation to service-provision, is that this will be a matter for PCTs to determine locally, so any move away from direct provision of services will be a decision for the local national health service within the framework set out in the forthcoming White Paper and after local consultation, including professions allied to medicine.
	We will support PCTs who want to do that, but we will not instruct PCTs to do it nor will we impose any timetable. What matters is getting the best services for each communityand that is what the White Paper will focus on.

Health Services

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in (a) the Uxbridge constituency and (b) England received (i) laser eye surgery, (ii) cataract removal, (iii) bladder keyhole surgery, (iv) coronary artery bypass graft, (v) knee replacement, (vi) hip replacement, (vii) ingrown toenail operations and (viii) varicose vein treatment in the last year for which figures are available; and what the average cost was of each type of operation to the national health service.

Liam Byrne: Data on the costs of national health service hospital services are gathered at healthcare resource group (HRG) level, and not at the level of individual procedures. This data is collected as part of the annual reference cost collection.
	The following table shows the relevant HRG category aligned with the information requested for the following procedures:
	cataract removal
	bladder keyhole surgery
	coronary artery bypass graft
	knee replacement
	hip replacement
	varicose vein treatment
	All data comes from the 200304 reference cost collection.
	Information on laser eye surgery and ingrown toenail operations is not shown as these costs are not separately identified within the reference cost collection.
	
		
			Hillingdon hospital NHS trust Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS trust  England 
			 HRG HRG description Description FCEs(47) FCEs(47) FCEs(47) National average () 
		
		
			 B13 Phakoemulsification Cataract Extraction and Insertion of Lens Cataract removal 796  276,004 717 
			 B14 Non Phakoemulsification Cataract Surgery Cataract removal 12  5,567 793 
			 E04 Coronary Bypass Coronary artery bypass graft  994 19,215 7,131 
			 G13 Cholecystectomy 69 or with complications or comorbidities Bladder keyhole surgery 39  11,109 2,449 
			 G14 Cholecystectomy 70 without complications or comorbidities Bladder keyhole surgery 102  36,442 1,723 
			 H04 Primary Knee Replacement Knee replacement 207  46,585 5,306 
			 H80 Primary Hip Replacement Cemented Hip replacement 135  36,467 4,750 
			 H81 Primary Hip Replacement Uncemented Hip replacement 25  6,852 4,603 
			 Q11 Varicose Vein Procedures Varicose vein treatment 269  43,386 967 
		
	
	(47) Finished Consultant Episodes (FCEs) as reported in 200304 Reference Cost Collection.
	Source:
	Reference Costs 200304. Own data.

Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals Trust

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the end of year financial deficit or surplus for the Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust was in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals National Health Service Trust was established in 1999. The table shows the information requested since 1999.
	
		Financial deficit/surplusHull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust19992000 to 200405 000
		
			 Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust Surplus/(Deficit) 
		
		
			 19992000 85 
			 200001 28 
			 200102 4 
			 200203 18 
			 200304 17 
			 200405 (5,461) 
		
	
	Source:
	NHS Trust Audited Summarisation Schedules 19992000 to 200405

Hull Royal Infirmary

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures Hull Royal Infirmary has in place to prevent the spread of MRSA; and whether these meet national best practice.

Liam Byrne: The Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals National Health Service Trust has signed-up to the Saving Lives delivery programme which is a key element in reducing methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and avoidable health care associated infections at a local level. It comprises a number of mutually reinforcing activities which will help the trust implement best practice to reduce infection rates. More detail about local action should be set out in the director of infection prevention and control's report.

Medical Staff

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2005, Official Report, column 622W, on medical staff Salaries, what the average salary of a (a) consultant, (b) junior doctor and (c) nurse was in 2004.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			
			  Average annual earnings Average annual basic salary 
		
		
			 Consultants 94,700 74,600 
			 Doctors in training and their  equivalents (junior doctors) 47,900 28,800 
			 Nursing and midwifery  (qualified) 26,400 22,700 
			 All NHS staff 26,300 22,300 
		
	
	Source:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre, Earnings Survey 2004.

NHS Capital Expenditure

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total NHS capital expenditure has been in each year since 1990.

Liam Byrne: The table shows public capital expenditure from 199091 to 200405.
	In addition, private sector investment through the private finance initiative in national health service facilities is estimated to have reached 4 billion to date. Of the 139 hospital schemes authorised to go-ahead, 56 are complete with 32 under construction. The estimated total value of schemes authorised to proceed is over 19 billion.
	41 NHS local improvement finance trust schemes totalling around 700 million have reached financial close.
	
		NHS public capital expenditure: England199091 to 200405
		
			   Capital net NHS expenditure ( billions) Percentage increase Percentage real terms increase(50) 
		
		
			 Cash(51) 
			 199091 Outturn 1.426 16.7 8.2 
			 199192 Outturn 1.524 6.9 0.8 
			 199293 Outturn 1.752 15.0 11.4 
			 199394 Outturn 1.594 -9.0 -11.3 
			 199495 Outturn 1.865 17.0 15.2 
			 199596 Outturn 1.736 -6.9 -9.5 
			 199697 Outturn 1.341 -22.7 -25.4 
			 199798 Outturn 1.089 -18.8 -21.1 
			 199899 Outturn 0.808 -25.9 -27.7 
			  
			 Resource budgeting stage 1(52) 
			 19992000 Outturn 0.908   
			 200001 Outturn 1.246 37.2 35.4 
			 200102 Outturn 1.732 39.0 35.7 
			 200203 Outturn 2.107 21.7 17.9 
			  
			 Resource budgeting stage 2(53)(54)  
			 200304 Outturn 2.451   
			 200405 Estimated Outturn 3.396 38.5 35.6 
		
	
	(50) Based on the gross domestic product deflator series as at 29 September 2005.
	(51) Expenditure pre 19992000 is on a cash basis.
	(52) Expenditure figures from 19992000 to 200203 are on a stage one resource budgeting basis. Cash figures in 19992000 were 0.963 billion, a real terms increase of 16.9 per cent. on the previous year.
	(53) Expenditure figures from 200304 to 200708 are on a stage two resource budgeting basis.
	(54) The resource budgeting stage 2 expenditure figures shown for 200304 and 200405 are consistent with table 3.4 in the 2005 departmental report.

NHS Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what spending on the NHS in England has been in (a) real terms and (b) nominal terms in each year since 1990; and what estimate she has made of expenditure on the NHS in England in each year until 200708.

Liam Byrne: The information in the table shows the growth in total net national health service expenditure in nominal and real terms (200405 prices).
	
		Net NHS total expenditure: England, 199091 to 200708  billion
		
			   A. Net NHS expenditure real in 200405 Prices(55) B. Net NHS expenditure nominal(55) 
		
		
			 Cash(56)
			 199091 Outturn 32.74 22.33 
			 199192 Outturn 35.06 25.35 
			 199293 Outturn 37.49 27.97 
			 199394 Outturn 37.83 28.94 
			 199495 Outturn 39.38 30.59 
			 199596 Outturn 40.05 31.99 
			 199697 Outturn 39.91 33.00 
			 199798 Outturn 40.72 34.66 
			 199899 Outturn 41.91 36.61 
			 19992000 Outturn 44.78 39.88 
			 
			 Resource Budgeting Stage 1(57) 
			 19992000 Outturn 45.14 40.20 
			 200001 Outturn 48.69 43.93 
			 200102 Outturn 53.02 49.02 
			 200203 Outturn 56.65 54.04 
			 
			 Resource Budgeting Stage 2(58)(59) 
			 200304 Outturn 64.34 63.00 
			 200405 Outturn 69.71 69.71 
			 200506 Plan 74.52 76.39 
			 200607 Plan 80.10 84.32 
			 200708 Plan 85.69 92.64 
		
	
	(55) Figures are not consistent over the period (199091 to 200708), hence no comparisons should be made across different periods.
	(56) Expenditure pre 19992000 is on a cash basis.
	(57) Expenditure figures from 19992000 to 200203 are on a Stage 1 Resource Budgeting basis.
	(58) Expenditure figures from 200304 to 200708 are on a Stage 2 Resource Budgeting basis.
	(59) The Resource Budgeting Stage 2 expenditure figures shown for 200405 to 200708 are consistent with the 2005 Departmental Report and Chief Executive's Report.
	Note:
	Based on the GDP Deflator series as at 28 September 2005.

NHS Postholders

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) chairmen and (b) chief executives of (i) strategic health authorities, (ii) special health authorities, (iii) primary care trusts and (iv) NHS (provider) trusts have been in post for (A) less than one year, (B) one to three years, (C) four to six years, (D) seven to nine years and (E) 10 or more years.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 21 November 2005
	The information requested is not collected centrally.

NHS Professionals

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost to the NHS is for a week's work from (a) a nurse and (b) a doctor employed through (i) an agency and (ii) NHS professionals.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not held centrally.

Primary Care Trusts

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on her policy on the (a) commissioning and (b) provider roles of primary care trusts.

Liam Byrne: Any move away from direct provision of services by primary care trusts (PCTs) will be a decision for the local national health service within the framework set out in the forthcoming White Paper and after local consultation, including staff.
	We will support PCTs who want to do that, but we will not instruct PCTs to do it, nor will we impose any timetable. What matters is getting the best services for each community-and that is what the White Paper will focus on.

Private Patients

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the total revenue derived from private patients in the NHS was in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  what the total cost of providing private patients with care in NHS hospitals has been in each of the last 10 years.

Liam Byrne: The Department does not collect information on the cost of providing private patients with care in national health service hospitals. Income from private patients treated in NHS hospitals are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  000 
			  Total income from private patients treated in the national health service 
		
		
			 199596 207,448 
			 199697 235,733 
			 199798 273,232 
			 199899 290,840 
			 19992000 304,826 
			 200001 316,660 
			 200102 341,763 
			 200203 369,073 
			 200304 386,481 
			 200405 316,081 
		
	
	Sources:
	Audited NHS trust summarisation schedules 199596 to 200405
	Audited primary care trust summarisation schedules 200001 to 200405
	200405 figures do not include income for NHS Foundation Trusts

Public Engagement Contracts

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 July 2005, Official Report, column 991W, on public engagement contracts, what the value is of the contract tendered to run the consultation exercise Your Health, Your Care, Your Say; how many and which companies bid for the contract; and on what date it was decided to award the contract to Opinion Leader Research.

Liam Byrne: The current value of contract with Opinion Leader Research (OLR) for the Your Health, Your Care, Your Say consultation is 952,104. Three companies responded to the tender, ICM Research, Market and Opinion Research International (MORI) and OLR. The contract was awarded 25 July 2005.

Temporary Medical Staff (Costs)

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS of (a) agency nurses, (b) agency doctors and (c) total agency staff in (i) England, (ii) each strategic health authority and (iii) each NHS trust have been in each year since 1997.

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on temporary (a) nurses and (b) doctors in each of the past five years.

Liam Byrne: The Department collects expenditure information on non-national health service staff for primary care trusts (PCTs), NHS trusts and strategic health authorities (SHAs). Non-NHS staff expenditure figures include all agency staff and any other staff not directly employed by these bodies.
	Expenditure on agency staff in the NHS in 200405 dropped to four per cent. of the NHS pay bill. This information with explanatory notes has been placed in the Library. The rise in agency staff spend over the years covered in the tables has tracked the rise in established posts over the period.
	Reducing agency spend is part of the Department's contribution to the 6.5 billion Gershon Efficiency target and the 10 human resource high impact changes as highlighted in A workforce response to local delivery plans; a challenge for NHS Boards.

Waiting Lists/Times

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time in hospitals in (a) Staffordshire, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England has been in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The median waiting times for inpatient admission at hospitals in Shropshire and Staffordshire Strategic Health Authority, the West Midlands and England in each year since 1997 are shown in the table.
	
		Estimated average time patients have been waiting for elective admission, March 1997 to June 2005Provider based Weeks
		
			  Median waiting time 
			  Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA(60) West Midlands(61) England 
		
		
			 March 1997 11.2 11.1 13.2 
			 March 1998 14.1 12.6 14.8 
			 March 1999 13.0 11.8 12.8 
			 March 2000 13.8 11.8 12.9 
			 March 2001 12.9 11.6 12.6 
			 March 2002 12.4 11.4 12.7 
			 March 2003 14.1 10.8 11.9 
			 March 2004 11.1 9.8 10.2 
			 March 2005 9.4 8.1 8.4 
			 June 2005 9.0 7.8 8.0 
		
	
	(60) Shropshire HA, South Staffordshire HA and North Staffordshire HA merged to form Shropshire and Staffordshire Health Authority.
	(61) Data for NHS providers within Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA, Birmingham and the Black Country SHA and West Midlands South SHA have been used to represent West Midlands.
	Source:
	Department of Health form KH07.
	
		Strategic health authorities and corresponding health authorities
		
			 Code Name 
		
		
			 Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA 
			 QEF Shropshire HA 
			 QEH North Staffordshire HA 
			 QEJ South Staffordshire HA 
			 Q27 Birmingham and The Black Country SHA 
			 QD9 Birmingham HA 
			 QEC Dudley HA 
			 QEE Sandwell HA 
			 QEG Solihull HA 
			 QEK Walsall HA 
			 QEM Wolverhampton HA 
			 Q28 West Midlands South SHA 
			 QEA Coventry HA 
			 QED Herefordshire HA 
			 QEL Warwickshire HA 
			 QEN Worcestershire HA

School Nurses

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many additional school nurses have been employed since the publication of the Public Health White Paper.

Liam Byrne: School nurses were counted fully for the first time in the September 2004 national health service workforce census, two months before the 'Choosing Health' White Paper was published in November 2004.
	The census showed that there were 2,409 qualified nurses working in school nursing, the next count will be available from the September 2005 census which will be published in March 2006.

Western General Hospital

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to bring payment by results for emergency procedures at Western General hospital into force as soon as possible.

Liam Byrne: Final decisions on the scope and structure of the tariff in 200607 have not yet been made. These will be made once Ministers have considered the recommendations of departmental advisory groups.
	Providers will only be operating at full tariff by 200809. In the meantime, the introduction of the tariff will be gradual, with transitional adjustments to provider's tariff income.